Iris
by StoryBard
Summary: AU/AR Gaara adopts a pet unlike any other.
1. Chapter 1: The Man in the Garbage Can

**Title**: Iris

**Author**: LadySable (LiveJournal)/StoryBard()

**Pairings**: Gaara and Naruto

**Rating**: T

**Words**: 2,624

**WARNING**: This will have heterosexual and homosexual relationships of both genders (M/M M/F F/F). If either offend you, this is not the story for you. Also, I'm always updated on what's happening in the manga, so if you don't read it online, there will be spoilers (Especially if you haven't read up to chapter 549).

**Disclaimer**: Gaara and Naruto are properties of Masashi Kishimoto. I do not make money from this fan made work.

**Summary**: AU/AR Gaara adopts a pet unlike any other.

**Chapter 1: The Man in the Garbage Can**

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><p>"And I don't want the world to see me<p>

Cause I don't think that they'd understand

When everything's made to be broken

I just want you to know who I am."

Iris - Goo Goo Dolls

* * *

><p>"Temari, why are you calling me at this time in the morning?"<p>

"If I didn't call you now, would you have picked up? Or would you have just waited to figure out what I wanted from the answering machine?"

Silence filled the air.

"See! I bet you wouldn't have even picked up if it weren't for the fact that there might have been an accident that you needed to report!" He had thought it was work, which was why he had answered it without looking at the caller ID. "Jeez, Gaara, you're too introverted for your own good. Which is why I called."

"What is it now? Another one of your horrible ideas of setting me up with some random woman? Really Temari I need to go to work, I'm running late."

"No you're not. You always leave at seven. It's 6:45 right now. You should be happy that I care enough to wake up early in the morning to call you. I wouldn't do it for Kankuro."

"That's because Kankuro won't pick up. If you don't tell me what you called me for, I'm hanging up." The red haired man tapped his fingers against the kitchen counter.

"No! Don't hang up! Okay, here's the deal, you get a pet or I'll get one for you."

The tapping stopped, "A pet? Are you serious?"

"Yes, very serious."

"No. A pet is too much work. They have needs."

"Yup, and you'll have to supply those needs."

"No. You have to play with them, and give them attention or they'll get sick, and possibly die. Temari, seriously, you might as well call the pet abuse hotline right now because I don't have the time to give them the attention they need." He checked the time, ten more minutes.

"Gaara," Temari's voice went from coaxing to you're-going-to-do-this-or-else. "If you don't get a pet, I'll show that picture."

"Not the one-?"

"Yes, that one."

His sea-foam colored eyes widened. He weighed his options. A pet that would run away within a week of owning it, or not being taken seriously by his coworkers?

"Fine, I'll get a pet by - what's today? Monday? - I'll get it by Friday."

"Nope," she popped the word. "I want you to have a pet by tonight, or else I'm bringing over one tomorrow."

"Th-That's too soon. I have a deadline tomorrow that I need to focus on."

"So? Tonight, or I'll bring one of the puppies that my neighbor's dog had about a month ago."

"Tema-"

"Ciao!"

There was a soft curse as a click, then a buzz said the discussion was over.

* * *

><p>A headache hammered within his skull. It wasn't enough that Temari had to decide that today, of all days, was the day that Gaara had to get a pet. No, it just wasn't enough. Instead, before he left his house, there had been a call about an accident that he needed to report and interview witnesses. He was never good at interviewing witnesses, especially when something traumatic happened.<p>

When he had finally made it to work, he had a deadline looming over his shoulder. Before he could even get to his office, though, he was stopped in the hallway by a new rookie writer in his section. She was babbling about not being able to meet her deadline. He gave a slight nod, but his irritation must have been palpable, as the woman began to tear up and cry.

He had barely gotten an hour's sleep in the last two days. He wanted to be left alone. No more of Temari's meddlesome ideas. No more rookie writers. No pets.

He was trying to get better, trying to be a better brother, a better coworker.

He was tired of it all.

As he walked home from work, a dim light flickered above him before dying out, blackening the street he was walking on. He rounded the corner of a building. There was a dumpster right around it, and then he would be at his apartment.

He eyed the dumpster as it rattled, widening his steps around it, keeping a careful eye on it. He didn't want to add attacked by a wild animal to his list. He took a large step back as the lid of the dumpster was lifted up with such a force that it fell backwards.

He dragged out his phone, pushing the buttons for 911, when he realized he wasn't attacked, yet.

He looked up from his phone to the dumpster, eyeing the sudden appearance of a man that looked close to his age. In the dim lighting, he could see that the man's face had some stubble on it, so he hadn't been on the streets for too long, and his blue eyes were clear, so no drug abuse.

The man's nose screwed up, and he picked off flecks of garbage. He rubbed his blond hair, garbage falling out of it, and mumbling with irritation, said, "I didn't do nothing to that jerk, and yet he threw me into the dumpster! Must of been a bad day, or something."

Gaara stepped back as the blond haired man lifted himself easily out of the dumpster, flipping himself over the lid and landing on his feet beside it.

The blond looked over at him, and called out, "Hey! Red head! What town is this?"

Gaara blinked, knowing that he was the red head the blond was talking to, no one had red hair like his, and edged away, saying, "Suna, you're in Suna." He was ready to make a run for it, thinking that the blond must be some sort of crazy, when the blond sighed.

"How in the world did I get here? I mean, it's only an hour away from Konoha, but I don't even remember walking that far."

He watched the blond rub his hand on the back of his neck. What would Temari do in a situation like this? Gaara shook his head, she'd probably just whack the guy on the head, and run, leaving him unconscious on the ground.

At that, he turned around to leave, but was stopped when the blond grabbed his attention again. "Red head, hey, um, do you need a maid?"

"No," he said, glancing over his shoulder. The blond cursed, and kicked his feet in the ground. Then he realized the red head had stopped. Gaara ignored the fact that the blond was now looking him up and down like he'd seen many guys do to women on television.

"Do you need a," the blond blushed, and ducked his head, before looking up at Gaara through the fringe of his bangs. "A pet?"

Gaara turned around to face the blond, amazed at such a change in personality. If he didn't know better, the man was acting like a girl, and it wasn't awkward at all, like he had practiced it. The red head blinked, and then focused on the fact that he had asked if he needed a pet.

"Yes, I do need a pet," he said cautiously, taking another small step away from the blond.

The man gave him a grin that seemed to have multiple intentions behind it, "Well, how about I be your pet, for tonight?"

The red head glanced at the blond, "Are you trying to steal from me?"

"Nope, I won't take anything unless you give it to me," there was a wink.

"Temari never said what kind of pet," he murmured, too low for the other man to hear.

His headache just wouldn't go away. He wanted to go home.

"Fine," he said looking at the man. "You can be my pet, but not just for tonight. I'm going to need you for the rest of the week. Then you can leave as you wish."

The blond looked at the red head carefully, as if he were judging him, before slowly nodding.

Gaara jerked his head towards his apartment, ordering the man to follow him.

His apartment was a simple two bedroom, one bathroom type. The kitchen and living room were together, and there were no decorations; his walls a blank piece of paper.

He turned towards his guest as he came into the house. "First thing's first, go get a bath. I don't want my apartment smelling like a dumpster."

"Yes, master, but I'm a mere pet, do you think I can wash myself?" the grin on the blond's mouth caused him to doubt the innocence in it.

The headache was thrashing against his skull, "Come on, then."

The bathroom was much like the rest of the house: empty. Gaara ran water for a bath, making it slightly hotter than comfortable.

He turned as the blond removed his orange t-shirt. The man brought the shirt up to his nose and smelled it, before making a face. He looked up at the red head, and asked, "You wouldn't happen to have extra clothes? I only brought what was on my back."

"I have extra clothes, I doubt they'll fit you, though," Gaara pointed at the bath tub. "Bath now, clothes later."

"Yes, master," the blond murmured, lowering his eyelids.

"Don't call me master. My name is Gaara," he glared at the man, not amused by his humor.

The blond just nodded, slowly lowering his pants and boxers. Gaara kept his eyes focused on the blond's blue eyes, then jerked his head to the bathtub.

There was a sloshing of water as the blond entered the bathtub with far more gusto than a normal person.

Gaara dunked the blond's hair in the water, getting most of the garbage out before he had to touch it. "Your hair is in pretty good condition," he noted before rubbing shampoo in it.

"So, what are your plans for me as your pet? Any private fantasy you want to act out?" the blond asked him. "I'll do almost anything, I'm a switch."

Gaara leaned the blond's head back, and looked him in the face. Was there a facial key he'd missed that would decode what the blond had said? But, no, the face was as blank as his walls.

"People have fantasies about their pets?" the red head finally asked, letting go of the blond's head.

"Well, they have fantasies about human pets. It would be creepy if they had fantasies about their pet dogs and cats. Or fish," the blond shuddered dramatically.

"All I need you to do is act like a normal pet. You don't have to bark or anything, but Temari said I needed a pet, so that's what you are. I'll tell her on Saturday that you ran away, or something, and that'll drop the whole 'pet' idea she's on right now," he told the blond as he lathered conditioner on the ends of his hair.

"Wait," the blond said. "You mean you need a pet pet?"

Gaara paused, then stared at the blond hair in his face, before asking, "A pet pet? I just need a regular pet."

The blond relaxed, Gaara hadn't even realized that he was tense. "Jeez," said the blond as he rubbed his hand on his face. "I thought you meant you needed a sex pet."

"What?" Gaara nearly fell backwards, but the blond grabbed his wrists keeping him balanced.

"Sorry, sorry. I'm cool with it, though. Really, all I needed was somewhere to sleep, and food. I figured, you weren't too bad looking for a one night stand, or, you know, a one week stand. I didn't realize that you wanted a normal pet." The blond cocked his head in Gaara's hand. "So, um, why don't you just pick up a stray or something?"

"Because," he gritted out, still unbalanced by what the blond had assumed. "They require too much. They need things that I don't have the time or the will to give them."

"Oh," was the quiet response, and Gaara rinsed the blond's hair of as much conditioner as he could get out. He ran his hand through the damp hair, closing his eyes as he felt for any last remnants of soap or garbage. It wasn't until the blond shifted under his hand that he realized he'd been rubbing his hand through it much longer than what was required.

He abruptly stood up, "You can finish the rest of your bath. I've done my part." He exited the bathroom quickly. It wasn't until he was searching the guest bedroom for clothes Kankuro had left behind that he realized his head wasn't throbbing.

"Stupid blond," he muttered, before placing Kankuro's clothes outside the bathroom door. He knocked, and said, "There's some clothes outside that might fit you. Whatever doesn't just leave in the bathroom."

He didn't wait for a reply, but headed to the kitchen to find some food for the blond.

It had been over a week since he'd gone to the grocery store, and he wasn't sure if he even had food the blond would like. He just hoped he wasn't allergic to anything.

His rummaging in the cabinets and the fridge turned up relatively few things. The only thing that would even consist of a meal was some ramen that his sister had given him when he first moved in. "For days you don't want to cook," she'd told him with a wink.

He'd forgotten that he'd even had it in his kitchen.

He set a pot of water on the stove, waiting for it to come to a boil.

It was strange having another person in his home, using his bathroom. Temari and Kankuro would come over every once in a while, sometimes staying the night in his extra bedroom, sometimes leaving within the hour. This would be the first time someone would stay over for more than a night.

He didn't even know the stranger's name.

Suddenly he heard someone singing. Gaara blinked, and looked down the hall at the bathroom door where the source of singing was coming from. Then he froze as he realized the raunchiness of the lyrics.

The bubbling of water brought him back to earth, and reminded him of the dinner he was making. He set the bowl of ramen on the kitchen table so it would cool down for the blond to eat when he got out of the bathroom. The singing had stopped by then.

The bathroom door burst open, and the blond came out with a towel around his shoulders, and Kankuro's sport shorts. He looked over at the table, crept up to the bowl, looking over the rim and studying its contents.

"Ramen!" the blond cried out, and before Gaara could blink, he was sitting at the table, slurping up the noodles.

When the blond finally took a small break for air, Gaara quickly asked, "What's your name?"

The blond glanced at him, and slurped up some more noodles, before giving him a grin, "You're my master, Gaara, you gotta name me."

The red head glared at him. When that did nothing to change the blond's argument, he said, "Fine, your name is Pet."

The blond stared at him, noodles dangling out of his mouth. Then he slurped them up and said, "You're real creative, you know that?"

The red head didn't deign to give him an answer. Instead he stood up, and said, "I'm going to bed. You're room is next to the bathroom. I wake up at six, and go to work at seven. I'm gone for most of the day, and don't come home until late at night. If you make any racket while I sleep, I will kick you out and it will be painful."

With that, he left the blond to slurp his salty noodles.

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><p>Author's Note: Happy GaaraXNaruto fanday! I hope you enjoy my first chapter. If you'd like more GaaNaru-ness I left a link on my profile that will send you to the GaaNaru livejournal community. They're posting lots of fanart and fanfics for the GaaNaru fanday. Also, I'm looking for a Beta, so if you're interested, please message me. Thank you!<p> 


	2. Chapter 2: A Common Hobby

**Title**: How to Train Your Pet

**Author**: LadySable (LiveJournal)/StoryBard(here)

**Pairings**: Gaara and Naruto

**Rating**: T

**WARNINGS**: This will have heterosexuality and homosexuality. If either offend you, this is not the story for you.

**Disclaimer**: All characters are properties of Masashi Kishimoto. I do not make money from this fan made work.

**Summary**: AU/AR Gaara adopts a pet unlike any other, not realizing that their pasts are more intertwined than he originally thought.

**Chapter 2: A Common Hobby**

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><p>Gaara was wrenched awake by something that felt like a 200 pound punching bag. A puff of air left his body, as he felt the punching bag land around his stomach. He looked down at the punching bag that attacked, only to see that it was a grinning, blond haired man.<p>

He was ready to interrogate him, but remembered that he had adopted him. Or something. "What are you doing?"

"Well," the man dragged the word out, his deep blue eyes sparkling. "Since I'm your pet, I'm supposed to do 'pet-like' things, right? A normal pet tends to wake their master in the morning. Besides, what could be better to see in the morning than a grinning face?"

Gaara looked at him. Not only did he adopt a pet, he'd adopted a clown of a pet. He could handle it. He'd be at work for the majority of the week, anyway.

Knowing that he could survive a week of this in comparison to Temari bugging him for the rest of the month about a pet, he jerked himself out of the pet's grasp, and kicked him out of bed. He looked at his alarm clock, and growled in irritation. It was five thirty in the morning. He could have gotten thirty more minutes of sleep.

He turned on the pet, and hissed, "Pets aren't allowed on my bed, especially not at five thirty in the morning, when I could use every minute of sleep I can get."

Ignoring the blond's fearful face, he went to get ready for work. "What was he doing up at five thirty in the morning?" he asked himself when he was in the shower, the cascading water drowning out his question.

Having extra time, he was able to make a pot of tea, and ate cereal in front of the pet who looked at him as if he were a monster. It wasn't until Gaara grabbed his keys, and was exiting the apartment that he told the pet, "You could have eaten with me."

He smirked at Pet's furious indignation, and closed the door, feeling better that he was able to get back at the man.

* * *

><p>"Hey, is your cell phone on silence or something? 'Cause Temari keeps calling me, saying that she can't get to you."<p>

Gaara glanced up from the article he was working on. Kankuro was leaning over, blocking the light that was shining on it, a slightly concerned look touching his face.

"She keeps asking if you've gotten the pet like she asked, or if she needs to pick up a puppy for you," Kankuro rubbed his hands together. "This isn't another one of her schemes is it?"

Gaara nodded slightly, then stated, "You can tell Temari that, yes, I have gotten a pet, and that if she has enough free time at work, she should spend it working, not bothering you at work."

Kankuro shrugged, "I don't mind. The entertainment section is full of rookies who haven't written any articles for me to look at. I wish Yamato was still here, at least he could write an interesting article. You could practically see the ballerinas dancing or the music moving when he wrote. These rookies got nothing on him, and their articles are boring."

"Then maybe you should make up for their boring articles by writing your own," Gaara gritted out.

"Maybe," Kankuro looked up. Then innocently asked, "So what kind of pet is it?"

"It's a normal, regular pet," Gaara stated, making sure he was clear. A misunderstanding like last night was the last thing he wanted.

"What other kind of pet is there?" Kankuro asked, a genuinely curious look in his eyes.

"Not the kind of pet, I want," Gaara mumbled inaudibly. "Don't you have work to do?"

Kankuro tapped his finger on his chin, "Work, or bugging my little brother? What a tough decision."

Gaara, pushed his chair back, ready to forcibly make his brother leave, when Baki entered his office and said, "Kankuro, stop messing around with Gaara, and get to work."

Gaara glared at Kankuro as the older brother tilted his head, whistling softly as he removed himself from the red head's presence.

"Baki," Gaara said wearily, slowly sitting back down.

"No. No excuses. I know you've been trying hard these last few years to be more sociable, and I understand, I really do."

Gaara glared at him, "Do you? Do you really understand what I'm going through? Do you know how hard it is to deal with people?"

Baki gave him a wide smile, "Why do you think I became a reporter? People are hard to deal with, but if you ever want to be a better reporter than you are now, you're going to have to learn to deal with them, and you can start by not letting Kankuro get a rise out of you." The smile was wiped away, "Kankuro's enjoying the fact that he can get a rise out of you. Before, anything Temari or Kankuro did wouldn't budge you, let alone irritate you. He's taking advantage of it because he doesn't know how long it'll last."

Gaara turned his head away from him, his hands clenched in tight fists. Baki sighed, and said, "Just get to work, I'll try to keep Kankuro from causing you too many problems."As he was leaving Baki mumbled, "This is why siblings should never work in the same place." Gaara shot him a scowl even though the door had already closed.

He was tapping his pencil on the desk while skimming an article when his office phone rang.

"Gaara!" An older voice rumbled through the receiver. "Come to my office."

"Yes, sir," Gaara said, getting up, and heading over to the editor-in-chief's office. He was older than Baki, and most workers just called him the Veteran. Gaara didn't particularly like the veteran, yet there was a mutual, if not spoken of, respect between them.

"There's a basement flooding in the old Baptist church on Hill Crest Street. Go check it out, see if you can get a good story out of it. If it doesn't garner much, give your notes to a rookie."

Gaara nodded, and there was a tinge of relief in his voice when he said, "Yes, sir."

A flooding? No problem, anything to get out of the now deathly claustrophobic building.

* * *

><p>The flooding turned out to be a better story than expected. It wasn't just the fact that it had clearly been vandalism. There was a message sprayed on the church door in the shape of a red cloud, reminiscent of the gang activity going on in Konoha more than thirty years earlier.<p>

He returned to the office, and showed what he found to the veteran. The editor-in-chief had looked over the notes, quotes, and pictures that Gaara had gotten, and looked expectantly at him.

"Are you going to follow in your father's footsteps?" the older man had asked him.

The red head gave the veteran a blank smirk, "I don't plan to be murdered, but, yes, I'd like to take this on."

"Then I'll give it to you. Just don't tell anyone how much information you have, that's what killed your father."

As he headed home the red head looked up at the darkening sky, carefully holding the folder that held the information about the church to his chest.

He wasn't doing this case for his father, there was little respect between them. However, there was a small part of him that hoped that maybe this would prove that his existence wasn't a complete waste. That if he could do something that even his father couldn't, then he would never have to ponder why he was still alive.

Yet, even more than that, there was a fierce excitement surging through his body. He would be working on a case that was interesting, that had some meaning to more than just a few citizens in their town. Even more than proving his own existence, that gave him a fierce determination to get any information he possible could about the Bloody Cloud gang.

The first documented crime that unerringly pointed to the Bloody Cloud gang happened thirty years ago. They were a long living gang, and there were still rumors that they were around. Now, Gaara had proof from the door on the church that the Bloody Cloud gang was making a come-back. No other local gang was brave enough to take on their symbol for fear that they still had members around, and that they'd wake up with a bullet in their gut.

Yet, twenty years ago, something had happened. There was a huge gang war in a decent part of Konoha, why they were there no one asked, but it seemed that two major leaders of the group were attacked. For roughly ten years after that, the Bloody Cloud gang laid low. The only things that said that they were still around was silent murders with their symbol on the door of the house to indicate that it was them, or small acts of vandalism that were either blamed on them or was their doing. However, they stopped openly declaring war on the other gangs in the area like they used to.

Eight years after the gang war the Bloody Cloud gang attacked the Uchiha complex, a closed off area that consisted of only close relatives to the Uchiha family. It was a bloody massacre. The only reason it was pinned on the Bloody Cloud gang was that on the gates to the complex was a huge bloody cloud and it wasn't made of paint like it usually was.

The police interviewed the Last of the Uchiha, Uchiha Sasuke, who was the only member found alive in the complex. They found out that he had witnessed some of the murder, and he was sent to child therapy for a few months, but then he was okayed by the therapist. The only thing he had really added to the case was that his older brother had been a part of the killing, and shot his own mother and father in front of his little brother.

Konoha was devastated by this blow. The Uchiha's had been a huge part of the police force. The whole city thought that the Bloody Cloud gang was going to do an all-out attack on Kohoha, but they retreated back into the quiet shadows again.

After the massacre, Gaara's father suddenly became obsessed with reporting about the Bloody Cloud gang. He would work long hours, then, when he did come home, he would retreat into his study and lock himself in. One night, Gaara had walked past his father's study. The door had been open a crack, and he had peered in. His father was talking to himself, leaning over his desk, and scribbling fast and hard, his face glistening in the light of the lone lantern. Gaara quickly left, his father's eyes weren't focused.

Then one day, he suddenly became a loving father. He would cuddle Temari and Kankuro while watching a movie. He tried to read them to sleep, but they had outgrown needing a bed time story. He would take them shopping, buying Temari and Kankuro whatever they wanted, and sometimes letting Gaara pick something out, but only when Temari or Kankuro pointed out that he was there. Gaara had been suspicious of his father that week. After so long of neglect, and then turning a 180, there had to be something going on. Something he wanted from them.

They didn't know that their father would be dead by the end of the week.

It had been an unfortunate accident, the police told them. It wasn't for another two years that Gaara realized that 'unfortunate accident' meant that his father had probably been murdered. It wasn't until he finally scoured all the old news clippings that he found out that his father had been murdered. His father had gotten too close to the truth.

The red head twitched when a streetlight suddenly poured light down on him. The sky was an inky black, twilight long gone. Recovering from the break in his thoughts, Gaara made a mental check list to possibly interview the Last of the Uchiha. There could be some vital information for his article that only he would have.

Heading up the stairs that lead to his apartment, Gaara tried to remember if he left his lights on when he'd left the apartment. If he hadn't, then there was an intruder in his home, a reckless intruder at that.

He cautiously jiggled the doorknob: unlocked. He always locked his door. He reached into his pocket, ready to dial the police, when the door burst open. Gaara stumbled out of the way, barely managing to keep the folder safe. He wasn't in the clear, though, as a large form burst out with the door, and its target seemed to be him.

The attacker barely had his arms wrapped around the red head, when Gaara grabbed his bearings, and ducked under and out of the way of the arms. The other man stumbled, as he was using enough force to knock down two people, and rolled to the ground.

Gaara watched in horror as the figure was about to go down the stairs.

The attacker quickly tucked himself in a ball, and, using the momentum from the attack, rolled to his feet, precariously balancing on the edge of the step. He grabbed the railing stopping his momentum, and stumbled back a few steps away from the stairs, landing on his bottom in front of Gaara.

The attacker leaned his head back, and looked up at the red head, an adrenaline incited grin on his face, his eyes were dancing wildly. He looked far too happy for being so close to dying.

"That was fun! We should do it again tomorrow, it'd be great practice for me!" Pet said cheerfully.

Gaara glared at him, and hissed, "You could have died, and you think it's a game? I could have been charged for murder!"

"But I didn't," he pointed out with his finger.

Gaara scowled, turned, and entered the apartment. His fingers lingered on the lock, seriously considering locking the nuisance outside, but removed them before he could be seduced by that temptation.

He set the folder on the kitchen table, peering curiously at the papers that were strewn across the other side of the table. He was normally much neater than that, and he would never leave important documentation out for someone to see. That someone being the pet that was coming through the door.

"Ah!" the blond cried out. "Don't look at those!"

"'Martial Arts Scholarship'?" Gaara murmured, reading the title of the paper he was currently looking at before the blond yanked it out of his hand. He watched as the pet frantically gathered up the papers on the table, stopping him just before he grabbed Gaara's folder in his hurry.

The blond looked down embarrassed at being caught. "It's just a stupid thing I was thinking about today, creating a scholarship," he said offhandedly, setting the papers in a pile next to the folder.

"Scholarships aren't stupid. Rather, if someone's willing to work for something and gain something out of it, it's a good thing," Gaara told him, slightly curious at the fact that the blond was thinking about something that didn't involve 'the moment,' which was where he had originally thought the blond's thinking track ran continuously.

"Yeah," the blond mumbled, looking down at the floor, not meeting Gaara's eyes. "I just can't seem to figure it out, though."

"Well, you obviously need money to supply a scholarship, and the biggest problem is that you don't have that kind of money," the red head pointed out, opening a cabinet underneath the kitchen sink.

"I'll have money, that's not a problem," the blond lazily said. "The problem is, is that I can't figure out how to make the scholarship hard enough that not everyone can get it, but I don't want to make it so hard that it requires special equipment that kids in poverty can't get."

"You can't just blow off the fact that you do need money to make a scholarship," Gaara said, looking up at the blond incredulously, before grabbing the tin watering can from out of the cabinet.

"I don't mean to sound like a rich boy, but I am gaining a huge inheritance in about a few months, so I really don't think money's a problem."

"That makes you sound like a rich boy," Gaara murmured, opening the glass door next to the kitchen table that lead to a small balcony. The blond followed him, so Gaara continued, "Besides, if you're gaining such a huge inheritance in a few months, then why on earth are you pretending to be my pet?" Gaara looked over at the blond suspiciously, something wasn't adding up.

The blond gave a nervous grin, "That's because I sort of wandered here by accident. I didn't take anything with me, so while I have some money, not as much as my inheritance, I'm technically broke until I get it."

Gaara paused, tipping the watering can back away from the Christmas cactus, and turned to the blond, "How on earth did you wander all the way from Konoha without realizing that you had ended up in Suna? You know that there's at least forty-five miles between here and there. How did you not notice?"

The blond looked away, and said, "I don't want to talk about it."

"That's not going to cut it," Gaara hissed. "Either you tell me now, or I'm going to call the police because you're looking dead suspicious to me."

The red head took a step back at the heated glare the blond sent him, then the blond slumped like a puppet released from its strings. The blond turned and gazed out at the city below him, before quietly saying, "My friend, no, my brother and I got into a really bad argument. I left our apartment because I didn't really understand most of it, and I had to sort it out for myself. I just got to walking, not thinking about where my feet were taking me." Gaara watched him for a second, and then went back to watering his cacti. "Next thing I knew, this guy I bumped into was throwing me into the dumpster," the blond turned and the grin he shot him shown in the dark. "Then I met you, and all was right in the world."

Gaara paused, and glared at him, detecting the amusement in his voice. The red head opened his mouth, but was interrupted, "So, why do you grow plants? You don't seem like the kind of guy to have a green thumb."

Gaara closed his mouth, and looked at him. The wide blue eyes silently pleading that he drop the subject. "It fulfills a need I have," he answered shortly. "I like them better than most people."

"Yeah? Well, unlike plants, most people don't shut up long enough for you to get a word in."

"Look who's calling the kettle black," Gaara murmured to the cactus next to him. He kept his eye on the blond, smirking slightly as the blond turned indignantly.

"I heard that!" He stabbed a finger in the red head's direction, before lowering it, and asking, cautiously, "So what need do they fill for you? I know the plants I grew when I was little helped make my life seem less," he paused, trying to come up with the right word, "empty."

"How could your life be empty? You're the opposite of anti-social," the red head stared at the blond cynically. He was the kind of guy people flocked like flies to honey.

The man gave him a blank smile, then turned to watch the city scape below.

Gaara watched the blond's profile, before turning back to his cacti, and saying, "I'm the same, I suppose. They make it feel less empty, but they also give me something to look forward to each day."

"They'll always be there, even if no one else is," the other man murmured. "I really like your view from here."

"Hmm?" Gaara looked up from watering, and followed the other man's gaze out into the sea of lights.

"It's so inspiring, you know. Seeing all those lights flickering on and off. People are alive and moving." A gust of wind blew through, and the blond's hair whipped back, his face clearly showing his awe and amazement. "They're like stars on earth."

"Stars that are easily snuffed out," Gaara quietly retaliated, taking in the city lights. "Unlike real stars that last for millions of years. Like the sun," Gaara looked up at the blond's hair, hair that could rival the sun's glory.

The blond tilted his head and glanced up looking for real stars, frowning at the cloud coverage and city lights that wouldn't let him see them. He turned to Gaara with a grin, "Well, they might last for millions of years, but I'm sure it would get boring up there. Besides, what's easily snuff out, you treasure all the more. Stars are fascinating, but I'm sure only a few people on this earth truly treasure them."

"My sister treasures the stars," Gaara murmured quietly. "She says they remind her of our mother."

"'Remind her'?" Pet trailed off, then place his hand on Gaara's shoulder. "I'm sorry."

The red head shrugged off the hand, "Don't be, she died in childbirth, I never knew her."

The other man nodded somberly. Then shouted over the railing, "One day, all these stars will recognize me. I will become the greatest dojo head this world has ever seen!"

"That's what the scholarship was for," Gaara said. "No wonder you're not worried about money, if you're inheriting a dojo."

The blond turned to him sheepishly, "No, I'm not inheriting a dojo. My godmother owns it, and she says that she's not going to write it in her will to give it to me until I prove myself to her." Pet scowled, "Besides, if I'm lucky at all, I might get it without debts attached."

"What kind of debts?"

"My godmother likes to gamble, even though she's known as the Biggest Sucker. The only times she ever wins is when something bad's about to happen, so she keeps gambling. I guess it's so she can reassure herself," Pet fiddled with a necklace around his neck, and glanced across the city in the direction Konoha should be.

"That seems like rotten luck. To win only when something terrible is going to happen." Gaara eyed the necklace curiously before dismissing it, and finished watering the last of the cacti. He looked down one more time, noticing the mailboxes for his apartment. "I forgot to get the mail."

"Don't worry about it, I picked it up for you like a good pet," the blond shot him a cheesy grin. "The whole incident almost got me put in jail, though."

"How so?"

"Well, your neighbor, Shino, he saw me entering your house, and interrogated me." The blond let out a loud laugh, "He didn't believe me when I said I was your friend, but he believed me when I said I was your newly adopted pet." Gaara blanched. Out of all of his neighbors, Shino was the best. He didn't bug the red head, and he left him in peace. He didn't want him to think he was some sort of nymphomaniac.

"By the way, is he some sort of bug specialist or something? Cause when he interrogated me, he was carrying a couple of cages with bugs in it, and for some weird reason, there were a bunch of bugs just attached to him." Pet shook its head, "When I first saw him, quite frankly, he scared me, but he's an interesting fellow."

Gaara nodded in confirmation, then turned to leave the balcony.

"So what's for dinner?" the blond asked him as they entered the apartment.

"Same thing as last night, I haven't been able to go shopping," Gaara murmured, placing the watering can underneath the sink, and turning to the next cabinet to get out a pot.

"Yes! If you keep making ramen, you might have to kick me out to make me leave your house of ramen goodness," the blond said smiling as he sat at the kitchen table.

"You'd seriously be the easiest person to kidnap," the red head said, shaking his head. "All they would have to do is offer to take you out to ramen, and then they'd have you."

"As long as I get my ramen, I'd probably even participate in my kidnapping," the blond grinned cheekily at him before turning to his stack of papers, fussing with them.

"Why are you making the scholarship?" the red head asked, slightly curious as to why a well off man would even care to help those in poverty.

"I want to help a poor kid out, like I was helped when I was little. If it weren't for my godmother, I'd probably be worse off than I am now, or even dead," the blond gave him a wide smile, as if his death had little meaning to him.

"Why would you be worse off?" Gaara stirred the ramen in the pot, trying to ignore his own gurgling stomach. He rarely ate dinner, but it seemed that if he was cooking dinner for the blond, he could make some for himself.

"Oh, you know how things are as a kid," the blond slightly chuckled. Then asked, "What's in this folder? You were protecting it like it was worth more than your life."

Gaara turned quickly, the blond was lifting up the edge of the folder. "Don't touch it!" he snapped. "That has some very important, confidential information that the police do not want distributed around right now. If I see you so much as touching it again, you will leave," he hissed.

The blond raised up his arms to ward of his verbal attack, and said, "Okay, okay."

Gaara gave him one last suspicious glare, before turning to the ramen, and tilting it into a bowl on the counter. He gingerly picked it up, and placed it in front of the blond, who dug into it without further ado.

The red head rinsed out the pot before adding more water to make his own dinner, slightly curious as to why ramen was so great that the blond would be willing to participate in his own kidnapping for it.

He looked over at the blond, his brow furrowed, and said, "You live in Konoha right?"

"Mmm hmm," the blond hummed around the noodles in his mouth.

"You wouldn't happen to know the Last of the Uchiha, would you?" He startled as he heard a loud bang.

The blond had set his ramen bowl onto the kitchen table a little too hard, and he looked at it as if he would apologize to the bowl, before turning and giving Gaara a huge smile, "Do I? He's my closest friend!" Then he paused, "You're talking about Sasuke, right?" Gaara nodded, then watched as the man's shoulders drooped. "I mean, I think he's still my friend."

So Sasuke was the one Pet got into an argument with. "He must really mean something if you were able to walk all the way to Suna without realizing it," Gaara said, inquiring about their friendship.

"Yeah, he was one of my first bonds, and was the first person I made a connection to," the blond said offhandedly before finishing off the noodles. "Done! I'm heading to bed, night!"

Gaara stared blankly at the seat the blond had just vacated. He must have hit a sore spot for the blond. Then his gaze moved to the folder on the table, wondering if he cared that he had hit the sore spot.

* * *

><p>AN: Thank you for reading!


	3. Chapter 3: Cover Pet

**Title**: Iris

**Author**: LadySable (LiveJournal)/StoryBard()

**Pairings**: GaaNaruGaa, ShikaTema

**Rating**: T

**Words**: 4,457

**WARNING**: This will have heterosexuality and homosexuality. If either offend you, this is not the story for you.

**Disclaimer**: The characters (and dog) are property of Masashi Kishimoto. Avatar, and its characters belong to NickToons, which belongs to Nickolodean; I do not own it, and I do not make money from this fan made work.

**Summary**: AU/AR Gaara adopts a pet unlike any other.

**Chapter 3: Cover Pet**

* * *

><p>Gaara was sitting at his desk working on his weekly article when he heard his name yelled over the din of the offices. He winced, looked up from his writing, and sighed. Temari.<p>

He stood up, and stepped out of his office, and watched, slightly amused, as Temari pushed her way through the cubicles and made her way to him. Her four light blond pigtails were bouncing as she dodged the deadline panicked workers. His amusement slowly faded as he saw the wrath on her face when she saw him.

When she finally made it to him, he grabbed her arm, and dragged her to an abandon cigarette lounge before she could say anything. It was dimly lit, and had a faint smell of cigarettes and tobacco. Gaara turned to face his angry sister.

"You and Kankuro are starting to ruin my reputation at work, you know," he said conversationally. Both siblings coming to his work area, and causing a scene within days of each other.

"I don't care, because you know what? I'm going to destroy your reputation with that picture," his sister rebuked him.

"What? Why? I did what you told me to do," Gaara countered.

"Then where is it?"

"Where is what?"

"The pet!" Temari cried out grabbing his forearm, then dropped it in horror as Gaara hissed.

"What happened?" she asked concerned, carefully bringing the forearm back up, and rolling back his sleeve. There, on the underside of his right forearm, a light bruise was forming. Temari lightly rubbed her hand against it, her eyebrows furrowing in concern and confusion. "Was this an on-the-job accident?"

"No," Gaara gritted. "This is the result of getting a pet."

"It must be a huge pet," she said as she eyed the bruise. Then she rolled his sleeve back down, and let his arm drop from her fingers. "So, if you have a pet, where is it?"

"I don't know, shouldn't it be at home?"

"Your apartment is completely empty."

"You broke into my house?" the red head glowered at her.

"Don't give me that look. I didn't have to break into your house," she said haughtily. "The door was open."

"I always close the door, though."

"This isn't good," Temari said worriedly. "If such a large animal is on the loose, he'll be picked up by the dog pound."

"I wouldn't worry about that," he said, waving off her concern.

"You already got it dog tags? Good," Temari said, nibbling on her thumb nail.

"Temari, don't worry about it. He'll come back, and if he doesn't, then he wasn't a very good pet, now was he? You can find me another one."

"Augh! Fine," she said irritated. "I'm coming over for dinner tonight, though. Don't think you can squirm yourself out of this one." She turned around, and before exiting the room, paused, and said, "You know, I hope it didn't run away." With that, she left Gaara standing alone in the middle of the abandoned room.

Gaara sighed, and took out his cell phone, dialing his home phone number. This whole pet fiasco was turning up more drama than it was worth. He waited as the land line rang, before clicking and going to the answering machine. "Pet, if you don't-"

"Hi, Gaara!" The blond answered cheerfully, acting as if nothing happened.

"Where were you?"

"Oh, Shino invited me over for lunch, 'cause he thought I'd be lonely cooped up in your apartment. He's a really interesting cook, he made this-"

"I don't care about your lunch," Gaara said, cutting him off. He sighed and then said, "Look, my sister, Temari, is coming over tonight and I have to have a pet to show her or she'll bring me a real one, so go find a cover pet. If that doesn't work, I'll create a plan B."

"Or you could tell her the truth," the blond said nonchalantly.

"I don't lie. She won't believe that you're my pet no matter what I say, and she might think the same thing you did, so, please, just go get a dog, or a cat."

He heard the blond sigh, "You know, I think you're underestimating your sister, but fine, I'll search for a cover pet." There was a click, and Gaara brought his cell phone down to stare at it for a moment. Pet didn't even know his sister, so how could he say that Gaara was underestimating her?

* * *

><p>Gaara paused outside of his apartment, then leaned lightly against the door, listening intently. There was a yip, and then he heard a distinctly female laugh followed by a deeper, male laugh. He allowed himself a second to breathe out in relief. He had been very close to just doing what the blond said and telling his sister the truth, but if he found a dog, then there was no need for him to create more drama.<p>

He carefully opened the door, not wanting to spook the dog his pet had found. He looked around the door as he came through, wary that his own pet would jump him like he had the last two nights, but what he saw dumbfounded him.

Temari and the blond man were sitting next to each other, cooing at a somewhat large white dog. They were urging it to chase its tail or to do other nonsensical things like 'sit' or 'rollover.' He had never seen his sister act this way.

Pet looked up as soon as Gaara peeked around the door, giving him a cheesy smile. It wasn't until he had closed the door that Temari realized he was in the house. He placed the plastic bags from his stop by the local grocery store on the table, and turned towards the blond and Temari. She stood up, and brushed out her skirt, before saying, "Hello, Gaara."

Gaara winced at her formal tone. He looked away from her, ignoring the concern showing on his pet's face.

"I should apologize, Gaara," Temari said humbly, and Gaara turned towards her, eyes widening. "I should have trusted you when you said that you had a pet, instead I ran to your work, screaming like a banshee." She chuckled slightly, "I hope we don't ruin your reputation too much."

Gaara stared at her, and then mumbled, "You could start by destroying that photo."

"Gaara," Temari chided. "Don't act like that picture is the end of the world. At worst, they'll just think you and Kankuro are adorable and you might, _might_ just get teased for a little while."

"Picture? Can I see?" The blond widened his eyes up at Temari, his bottom lip coming out in a pout.

"No," Gaara growled.

"Sure," Temari said, chuckling, she leaned down to her purse, and took out the picture, getting ready to show it to the blond, when it was ripped out of her hand. Gaara tore the picture to pieces, and took the pieces to the kitchen, and released the shredded picture into the sink. He turned on the water, then the garbage disposal, and happily destroyed the picture into a million little pieces.

"You know I have that image saved on my computer," Temari called out to him, chuckling at the glower Gaara threw her way.

"I got some satisfaction from destroying it, though," Gaara told her, and then, taking his watering pail, he headed out to the balcony. He paused outside of the door, breathing in the warm air, and basking in the sun for a second, before watering his cacti.

When he came back inside, he placed the watering can in its usual spot before starting up dinner. He rummaged through the plastic bags, finding all the ingredients he needed to make spaghetti, and placing them on the counter.

"Do you need any help?" Temari asked him from the living room, and Gaara shook his head.

He was just getting the water to a boil when he heard a crash, Temari's and Pet's yells accompanying it. Gaara sighed, and turned to see what had happened.

The dog had crashed into his coffee table, knocking it over onto its side. Anything and everything on it had crashed to the floor, including some halfway filled glasses that Temari and his pet had been drinking out of. Gaara grabbed a towel from a drawer, and went over to clean up the mess, while Temari and the blond calmed the dog down.

Gaara picked up the glasses, and said, "This is why I didn't want a pet, Temari."

She glared at Gaara, "You've had him for three days! Haven't you taught him anything?"

The red head returned the glare, "When have I had time to, Temari? I work all day, and then I come home to work some more, and then I try to get as much sleep as I can, but the pet keeps waking me up at five thirty when I'm used to six."

He saw the hurt flash in her eyes, and sighed, "Temari-"

"No, no," she raised her hand, stopping him, her other hand covering her face. "I should be apologizing, again. I know how busy you are, I just wanted you to have a companion, so you'd have something to come home to."

Gaara watched as his sister stood up, and headed towards the door. He took a step forward, but hesitated, unsure of what to do. Then he watched as his pet's hand grabbed his sister's forearm gently, and asked, "Where are you going? Weren't you going to have dinner?"

"I don't think I'm still invited," she said gently, looking down at the blond sitting on the floor, not looking back at Gaara. She tried to remove her hand out of his pet's grasp, but he just tightened it as he stared at the red head. Then he nodded, as if Gaara had said something.

He turned and looked up at Temari, and smiled brightly, "I think it'll take a lot more than a small miscalculation for him to be really mad at you." Temari stared at the blond hard, and the blond gave Gaara a wink, and a conspiratorially grin, before leaning closer to Temari, and in a hush tone, said, "Besides, I don't think he really minds the pet he has. He just wanted to prove a point."

Temari finally looked back at him, but he quickly turned his face away, almost petulant. He didn't want to admit that the pet was halfway right. He was trying to prove a point.

Then he heard Temari's laughter and turned back to see her leaning over, her hand on the pet's shoulder, and small tears falling out of her eyes. He watched her until he heard a splash, and he frantically turned around to see that his pot was over boiling, he went to take care of it, setting the gasses on the counter.

By the time he gained control of the pot, Temari had stopped laughing.

"Wherever did my brother find you?" she asked the blond.

"In a dumpster," was his cheerful answer.

"In a dumpster?"

"Some guy didn't like the way I looked."

"I see," he could hear the frown in his sister's voice.

He turned to see her glancing at his pet, and she seemed almost, Gaara paused, protective of him. The way her body was turned, and how she had a hand on his shoulder still, it was like a mother hen protecting her chicks.

"You never did tell me your name," she pointed out, and Gaara quietly cursed. He tried to ignore the situation, and brought down a pot to heat up the spaghetti sauce.

"No, I didn't," the blond said grinning. "But you can call me whatever you want, and I'll go along with it," there was a deeper tone, and Gaara stared at the sauce in the pan, wondering if he should beat up the blond for hitting on his sister.

"Ow! That hurt Temari! What was that for?" his pet cried out indignantly.

"That was for hitting on a married woman. You shouldn't do that sort of thing! Do you want people to think you're a gigolo?"

"You'll appreciate it in a few years, when you're old and wrink—Ow!"

"How old do you think I am?"

"30—Ow!"

"I'm barely 25! You little brat!"

"I'm not a brat! I'm almost 21!"

"You're not even legal!" Temari cried out in shock.

"S-So? Y-You're not even, uh, blond! Yeah, you're not even blond!"

"Oh, yeah? And look at you! I bet you go to the salon and bleach your hair that color! There's no way that can actually be natural! You look like a yellow highlighter!"

Gaara rubbed his head, wondering if he should try to calm the two down before a neighbor came over and asked him what was all the ruckus.

The sauce was finally bubbling, and Gaara started placing the plates and silverware on the table. He glanced over to see his pet on his back, Temari straddling him. She was holding him up by his shirt, and had a fist near the blond's head. Temari's expression was of fake anger, and he could see a tinge of amusement sparkle in her eyes. When had he thought Temari protective of the blond?

He shook his head, and went to heat some peas on the stove. The insults were slowly degrading.

"Hag!"

"Brat!"

"Old bat!"

"Child!"

Gaara rubbed his forehead. The peas had finally heated and he set everything on the table, then towered over the two wrestling on the floor. They both looked up at him, fear evident on their faces. "Dinner's ready," he said, and then headed to the table.

The two easily untangled themselves, and sat at the table.

"So, Blondie," Temari said, as she took the last bite of her dinner. "When's the next time you'll be over?"

"Whenever you want me here, I'll be here," he waggled his eyebrows.

"Gigolo," Temari muttered. "Cause, you know, I was thinking of bringing Kankuro with me next time. You won't be able to stand a chance against two of the Subaku siblings."

"Hah! You're on!" The blond pointed his spaghetti covered fork at his sister. Gaara glared at him, then eyed Pet's plate. He reached over to the peas, and dumped half of them onto his pets' plate.

The blond stared wide eyed at his plate. "You need more vegetables," Gaara lectured. "If you don't eat any, you're going to end up in the hospital before you're 30. The doctors will try to clean out your arteries, but ultimately fail, and you'll die."

The blond stared at him in horror, and then dug into the peas.

Temari laughed behind her hand, and Gaara glared at her.

He picked up his own plate, and Temari's, then placed them into the kitchen as Temari nettled the blond on about being in the hospital before 30.

"Shut up!" the blond mumbled around his peas. Temari chopped the blond on the head.

"Don't talk with your mouth full! That's disgusting!"

The blond opened his mouth, full of chewed up food. Gaara watched as Temari hit him even harder.

"Hey! Watch it! I almost bit my tongue off with that last chop!"

"Good! Then we won't have to hear you talking anymore," Temari said, an evil smile on her face.

"Gaara! Aren't you going to protect me at all?"

Gaara glanced over at the blonds, before saying, "Why would I?"

"Because I'm, like, your friend!"

Gaara glanced at him, and saw the blue eyes pleading, then said, "And she's my sister."

"Yeah, but you can't choose your siblings," the blond glared over at the woman across from him.

"According to you, I can't even choose my own friends," Gaara muttered as the sink filled with water.

"Che! Figures you wouldn't help a bro out," the blond pouted petulantly.

Temari laughed, and said, "Eat your peas, Blondie."

The blond glared at them both, then glared at the peas. "They're so tasteless," he muttered as he scooped some up and placed them in his mouth.

Temari stood up and came towards Gaara, and asked, "Can I help?"

Gaara paused and looked at her considering it. He nodded a moment later, and handed her a dish towel.

She smiled at him as she took the dish towel.

"Done!"

They both glanced over at the blond, eyeing the empty plate. Then they looked over to see the white dog eating something off the floor.

"Blondie, you didn't just?"

"Just what, hag?"

She stalked over to him and smacked him, "You don't give dogs you don't know vegetables! The owner could get really mad at you!" She glanced over at Gaara, and jerked her head towards the blond, but he continued washing the dishes, not particularly caring.

"Aw, don't be so mean, Tem. Dogs need their veggies, too."

"Do you really want to go to the hospital before you're 30?"

They were interrupted by a knock on the door, and Gaara looked up, getting ready to answer it, but stopped when the blond cursed.

"I'll get it!" the blond hollered. "I'll take your dog with me!"

He grabbed the white dog, and was out of the house before Temari or Gaara could stop him.

"Is that okay?" Temari asked him hesitantly.

Gaara shrugged, and rinsed the plate he was washing off.

The pet returned an hour later while Temari and Gaara were watching TV, something Temari insisted on every time she came over.

He opened the door, laughing with someone in the hallway, and then froze as sea foam and aquamarine eyes stared at him. "Uh, hello?"

Temari frowned at him, "Where's the dog? Don't tell me you lost him?"

"N-No, I didn't lose him. I left him outside, tied to a tree so he could have some outside time by himself," the blond muttered before sitting on the floor beside Gaara's legs.

Gaara frowned at him. "Who was at the door?"

"Just a neighbor, I met him yesterday while you were at work," the blond sighed closing his eyes.

Temari glanced quizzically between Gaara and the blond. Gaara ignored her, and asked, "Shino?"

"No, although, I did see him yesterday, too. It was Inuzuka Kiba. He works at the nearby dog shelter?"

Gaara stared blankly for a moment, then nodded as he remembered the wild brunette hair, similar to his pets' own blond hair.

"So that's how you got the dog?" Temari asked her brother, still eyeing the blond with a new curiosity.

"No."

"Where'd you find your pet, then?" Temari demanded.

"In a dumpster," Gaara said, staring at the moving people on the TV.

"Gaara, you should change the channel, all this history stuff is boring me," the blond complained.

"Like your cartoons are any better with no plots or anything that's relatively interesting," Gaara said, bored.

"Hey, some of them do have pretty good plots! Like Avatar!" Then the blond pouted, "If only a few more cartoons were that good, then no one would complain about them being bad. It seems like only NickToons has any good cartoons anymore."

Temari stared at him, "There are other people in the room, you know. Besides, Gaara and I always watch the history channel. I don't want to watch any silly cartoons."

"It's not silly," the blond argued, turning to glare at her. "The humor is just a sub genre, and when there is humor, it's really funny. It's a beautiful story about bravery and the fine lines between right and wrong, and human life and, and ... Gah! You just have to watch it!" The blond jabbed his finger at her, "If you watched an episode for ten minutes, you'd be hooked by how human these characters are!"

"You're on!" Temari said. "And if you don't win, you have to tell me your real name."

Gaara stared as both of the blond's glared at each other. He tapped the remote in his hand, and flipped the channels to find the cartoon that Pet liked.

It wasn't hard to find, and it was in the middle of a commercial break. The blonds were still glaring at each other, but as soon as he heard the announcer saying Avatar was back on, Pet broke it to watch the show eagerly.

Temari turned to look at the TV, a bored expression on her face that slowly changed to her trying not to laugh, and then she gave up, and laughed. Gaara watched as both his sister and the pet were engrossed in the show, he turned to look as a girl in what seemed like traditional Japanese garbs, and had face paint like a Geisha's on. She whirled, throwing a fan at an opponent. Suddenly fire filled the screen, and a young man in armor was fighting a bald kid with blue arrows on his head.

"Hey, who's that?" Temari asked as the screen changed to show a dark skinned man with a ponytail.

"Sokka?" The pet asked, raising an eyebrow.

"He kind of reminds me of my husband," Temari said, dreamily. "If only he had half as much motivation, though."

The pet stared at the dark skinned man on the screen, and frowned, "Who's your husband?"

"Hmm? Oh, his name's Nara Shikamaru," Temari said watching the screen. Then she turned to Gaara, missing the shock on his pet's face. "I want one of those fans for Christmas," she said, turning his head to look at the screen.

"If I remember," Gaara said shortly.

"Y-You're married to Shikamaru?" the pet cried out.

"Yeah? How do you know him?" Temari asked.

"I-I went to school with him, he's one of my friends," the blond smiled. "We got into so much trouble, him, Chouji, and me, it was a blast."

Temari frowned at him, "I know we just went to Vegas to get married, Shikamaru said it was too troublesome to do a traditional wedding, so that's why you wouldn't have been to the wedding, but I don't think he's every mentioned having a blond highlighter of a friend."

The blond grinned, "That's because I wear orange. No one notices the blond when I wear my usual orange clothes."

Temari looked at the blond's clothes, eyeing them. Gaara watched as her eyes widen, and he silently cursed. "Why are you wearing Kankuro's clothes, Blondie?"

"Um, th-that's because my—oh look! Sokka!" the pet turned to the screen, and Gaara watched as his sister looked at the blond suspiciously.

His sister narrowed her eyes, and waited until the blond got into the show before she asked, "Say, Blondie, how long have you known my brother?"

Engrossed in the show, the words tumbled out of his mouth, "Four days." Gaara watched as the blue eyes widen, and he whipped his head around to the red head, his mouth a small 'o.'

"And let's see," Temari said, holding out her hands her fingers wide, and she slowly pointed to one. "Today is Thursday, and I saw my brother." She pointed to the next finger, "Yesterday, I was too busy at my office to talk to any of my brothers, and I barely got to see my husband." She moved on to the middle finger, "Then there's Tuesday. Tuesday was a nice day, I got to talk to Kankuro, and I heard that my little brother actually did something I asked him to, I was in a very good mood that day." She pointed to her index finger, "Then, finally, four days ago, on Monday, I told my brother to get a pet, or I'd be getting one for him. It wasn't a very happy day, as I had to wake up early in the morning to get him to listen, but I was happy when he consented to my plan."

Temari gave his pet a ferrel grin, "Now, you met my brother four days ago? I take it that you're the pet, not the white dog?"

His pet slowly inched away from the sofa, gingerly nodding. Temari stood up, and quickly made her way over to the blond. She grabbed the front of his shirt and punched him in the face. It wasn't like the playful punches she threw early, this punch had all of her body weight thrown into it.

The blond curled up, and rubbed his cheek, "Ow, ow, ow, ow. Ow!" Tears fell out of his eyes, and he glared up at the woman towering over him. "What was that for? I wasn't the one who said I got a pet, and then tried to trick you!"

"Oh, I know," she said calmly. "That was for the bruise you left on my brother's arm this morning. I couldn't do it to the dog because that's cruel, but I don't mind hitting you." She gave him what could have been a happy grin, if it weren't for the fact that she was obviously taking pleasure in the blond's pain.

She backed away from the blond, and turned to Gaara, "I have to go now, you'll be fine, right?"

Gaara nodded, and looked over at the blond in slight concern.

Temari narrowed her eyes at the blond, "If I hear about you leaving my brother, you will not like what happens after. I may not know where you sleep at night, but I'm sure Shikamaru does." The blond cowered away from her, still rubbing his face. With her threat delivered, Temari happily left the red head's apartment.

"Remind me to never get on your sister's bad side," the blond said, lifting himself up onto the couch.

Gaara simply nodded, before asking, "Are you okay? I've heard she can pack a punch."

The blond grinned at him, "Don't worry, I'm supposed to take over the dojo, if I couldn't take that kind of punch, what kind of head would I be? Besides, I let her hit me."

"Why?"

He shrugged, "It was something she felt like she needed to do, and I knew she wouldn't be able to hurt me too badly. There wasn't even any blood, I've had worse," the blue eyes darkened. "A lot worse."

The red head looked over at him curiously, before standing up, and saying, "I have an article to work on, so don't be too loud."

Pet nodded, before leaning back, and watching the TV screen. Gaara turned to leave, then paused, and said, "You forgot to collect on your bet."

The blond turned to him, "What? No! I could have had her begging for forgiveness! I could have had her clean my bedroom!" He turned to glare at Gaara, "Why didn't you tell me?"

Gaara shrugged, "I forgot." He left the blond, who was bemoaning of his existence, with a small smile gracing his lips.

* * *

><p>AN: Thank you for reading! I'm sorry that the first three chapters seem so formulaic, but it should start mixing up soon.


	4. Chapter 4: Simple Happiness

**Title**: Iris

**Author**: LadySable (LiveJournal)/StoryBard(here)

**Pairings**: GaaNaruGaa

**Rating**: T

**WARNING**: This will have heterosexuality and homosexuality. If either offend you, this is not the story for you. **SPOILERS** (?) for chapters 497-504 and 546-548, I suppose. It's not really spoilery.

**Disclaimer**: Naruto and its characters are properties of Masashi Kishimoto. Matsuri, Yaoki, and Korobi are property of the anime. I do not make money from this fan made work. The crying woman, Mary, the mean guy, and Brittany are mine. They'll only be in this chapter (Actually, Brittany is mentioned later, but it's only for a moment.).

**Summary**: AU/AR Gaara adopts a pet unlike any other.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4: Simple Happiness<strong>

Gaara let out a soft moan as something dropped next to him. He turned to his side, and tried to ignore the arm that was snaking around his waist.

"Gaara," a voice whispered heatedly next to his ear. "It's time to wake up. It's six thirty, you're going to be late for work."

Gaara peeked over at his alarm clock, and saw the red digital clock blink to five thirty three. He sighed, and wondered if he should get up anyway. He didn't mind the first two tactics that the pet used to wake him up. Rather, he preferred them over the last tactic, and, really, he wouldn't mind doing away with the waking up tactics his pet enjoyed. He'd been perfectly capable of waking up before the pet came.

The hand wrapped around his stomach slowly removed itself, and Gaara closed his eyes, sighing tiredly, glad that the pet gave up this one time.

Then he felt a hot breath near his ear, and something wet.

He was up in a flash.

He turned and stared at the pet in shock, his right hand slowly reaching up to touch his ear.

"Di-Did you just lick my _ear_?"

The pet smiled slyly, rolling over onto its back, and pouted up at him. Gaara glared at him, and kicked him out of the bed.

"Pets aren't allowed on the bed," Gaara growled, before leaving the bedroom to get ready for work, ignoring the pitiful insults the blond cried out at him.

It was Saturday, one of the busiest days for a daily newspaper as the Sunday paper was always the biggest seller. It was not only the largest newspaper of the week, but it was partially colored as well. Gaara was still irritated over his early morning wake up as he got to work. He couldn't help but feel slightly slimy from the lick. He shuddered, hoping to never have that sensation again.

He was leaving his office to run off a fax when he bumped into a dark haired woman outside his office. She looked up at him, and then began to tremble. "Gaara, sir?"

Gaara paused and looked down at the woman, and couldn't stop the irritation undercurrent in his voice, "Yes?"

"Um, I-I just wanted to let you know that there was a problem with my con-contacts and I couldn't get the proper quotes for my article, and that-that I didn't get the correct facts, an-and I don't think that I-I'll be able to turn my article in this week!" She began to tear up, and looked down.

Gaara stared at her before quickly trying to figure out what he could do to replace her article's space. It was like trying to find the perfect puzzle piece to fit the spot, and he had to figure out who was working on an article that was due to be released later on in the week that might be finished so that he could fit it into her spot.

It was during this process that an older man, in his mid-thirties, came across them.

"Why you-" he growled lowly, and stormed over to Gaara. He grabbed the red head's tie, slightly choking him.

Gaara glowered at the man.

"You punk! Isn't it enough that you're in charge? Do you have to make all the women cry, too?" the man growled at Gaara.

"Um, he didn't-"

"You don't have to defend him, Mary! He's just your boss, he shouldn't make you cry," the older man glared at Gaara. "You should be put in your place, abusing your position. I always knew you were too young to handle such a stressful position, we're taking this to the head." Gaara glared at the man, wanting nothing more than to slip out of the man's grasp and continue working. However, if this man didn't like him enough to deliberately insult him in public, it needed to be taken care of.

The man tried to drag Gaara by the tie to the editor-in-chief's office, but was stopped.

"What do you think you're doing?" a cold voice said behind Gaara.

Both of the men turned, and saw a short statured brunette standing with her hands on her hips.

"Matsuri-"

"He made that woman cry, so I'm taking him to the head," the older man inputted quickly.

Matsuri looked over at Mary, who was shaking her head, disagreeing with what the man said.

"I-I was just telling Gaara that I wouldn't be able to meet my deadline! He didn't make me cry," Mary said, her cheeks dry.

"Hey," Matsuri said to her, smiling cheerfully. "We all make mistakes, and sometimes things happen, but you shouldn't cry about it. Gaara's not going to be angry that you missed your deadline, it happens sometimes because this is the real world. We're dealing with real people who don't understand what it's like to be a reporter. Gaara's even missed a deadline or two because they couldn't give him decent quotes or show up like they were supposed to."

Mary nodded.

"Now, get back to work, and see if they'll reschedule a meeting today. If not, then start working on next week's article." Matsuri shooed her off, before turning to the men.

She glared up at the older man. "Let go of Gaara's tie," she hissed. The man abruptly let go. Gaara straightened his tie, and eyed Matsuri.

"Now listen here. Gaara has way too much to do on a day like this, so if you have any complaints, then the least you could do is wait until we aren't so busy. It is completely unprofessional to call out your boss in the middle of a workday, especially before our biggest deadline of the week."

"B-But," the man stuttered.

"No, 'buts.' You should be ashamed that a man younger than you was acting far more professional, maybe that's why he's in charge and you're not," Matsuri glared at him. "Now get back to work, or we will have a problem."

The man glared at both of them, and walked back to his cubicle, trying to save what dignity he might have left.

Gaara turned to Matsuri, his mouth opening to say something, but was stopped when a sudden cheer arose from behind them.

"Go Matsuri!"

They both turned to look behind them, and stared at the small group of cheering people that consisted of Yaoki, Korobi, Baki, and Kankuro.

Gaara stared at them, and watched as Matsuri giggled, and flashed them a thumbs up. "No one messes with our Gaara!"

"'Our Gaara'?" Gaara asked blankly, blinking at them.

Matsuri, Yaoki, and Korobi smiled at him, "Yup! You're our Gaara!"

Baki shook his head, and knocked a fist against Yaoki's and Korobi's heads. "Come on, let's get back to work."

They nodded, and in less than a minute, Gaara was alone, staring down at the paper in his hand, trying to discern the unusual feeling inside of him. He didn't have time to ponder it long, as he remembered what he was doing, and realized that his deadline was slowly approaching.

He had quickly finished his errand and was back in his office editing articles when there was a short knock on his door, and someone entered.

"I hope you don't mind the interruption, sir," a woman said.

Gaara looked up from the articles quizzically, and said, "Today is the day I expect to be interrupted, what with all the deadlines approaching and articles to be edited. What can I do for you, Brittany?"

She walked over smoothly, and pressed a photo down on his desk, before sliding it over with one finger. He eyed the chewed on nail before glancing down at the picture.

"I heard from the old man that you are working on an article about the Bloody Cloud Gang?" There was a nervous lilt in her tone, and she looked away from Gaara when he tried to meet her gaze.

He looked back down at the photo, eyeing her salmon button up shirt and lime green skirt as his gaze fell to it. "Yes, I am. Where did you get this photo?"

He could see her relax, and she said, "An abandoned factory down town. A shoe factory."

"What would they be doing there?" he asked himself.

"Making shoes? Who knows, it's probably their base or something. You might see them or something if you went to investigate," there was a slight hesitation in her voice.

Gaara looked up at her, and said, "Maybe."

Brittany tensed, then looked at him, her pale blue eyes wide with fear, "Y-You should probably check it out real soon. They might move their base."

"I can't today, there's too many deadlines to meet, you should know that," Gaara quirked a brow at her.

"R-Right, deadlines." She paused, and then said, "I better go work on mine."

She left quickly, her red high heeled shoes clacking in her wake.

Gaara stared blankly at the picture she left behind before breaking the spell and getting back to editing.

He was eating lunch with the old man when Kankuro sauntered over and sat next to Gaara.

"I heard from Temari that you have a blond gigolo staying over at your house?" Kankuro asked nonchalantly.

"A blond gigolo?" the veteran repeated, raising a furry gray brow at Gaara.

"No, I don't have a blond gigolo at my house," Gaara said irritatedly as he ate his sandwich.

Kankuro slumped, "Aww, man, I was hoping that you did. I thought I could get advice or something. You know, how to woo some rich married ladies and possibly get some fancy presents like a car or something." Kankuro looked over at Gaara, "Speaking of ladies, I heard Brittany came to your office. She normally just sends her article in with someone else, so what did she want? Did she ask you out on a hot date?"

Gaara glowered over at Kankuro, "You should know better. Brittany's only interested in other women. She wouldn't ask any man out on a date even if she was beaten within an inch of her life."

Kankuro leaned back in his chair, "Yeah, right. She just wants a man to save her from herself."

"You should be more respectful," Gaara said disapprovingly. "Besides, remember what happened to the last man who said he wanted to 'save her from herself'?"

His brother winced, "Right. She's a lesbian. So, if she didn't want to ask you out on a date, then what did she want?" Kankuro paused, "Huh, now that I think about it, she didn't seem like her usual self at all."

"No, she didn't. She normally has perfectly manicured nails, and colors that go together, not clash," Gaara stated. He looked over at the veteran, "She was giving me a picture and some information for an article, but I don't believe I'll go and investigate it."

"What? Why not?" Kankuro asked.

"It's more than likely a trap. A warning to any other reporters who might consider investigating them, or even detectives and the police," the veteran said, taking a sip of warm tea.

Gaara nodded, "That's what I figured. It would be insanely naive to go after that particular information if the person who handed it over looked completely shaken. If I went to investigate it, I'd be lucky to come away with only a few broken bones."

Gaara stood up and picked up his lunch wrappers, ready to get back to work when Kankuro grabbed his shirt.

"Wait, Gaara," he turned and looked at Kankuro. "What are you reporting that would put you in that kind of danger? The only thing I can think of is-" the brunette stopped and carefully looked at the red head. "No," he breathed. "Don't tell me you're taking up dad's obsession."

"No," Gaara said, shaking his head. "I'm not taking up his obsession, I'm taking up his report."

"Gaara-"

"Kankuro," he said firmly. "This is my choice. I'm being careful, too. That's why I'm not taking the lead." His brother opened his mouth, but he swiftly intercepted, "Let me do this. Let me do what Father couldn't." He looked his brother in the eyes, and said, "Please."

His brother sighed, and released his grip on his shirt, "I can't stop you. Just don't be an idiot."

"I can't, that's your job."

Kankuro let out a small chuckle, "Yeah." Then he met Gaara's eyes, "Just remember, you're 'our Gaara'."

Gaara nodded slowly, his throat tightening. He abruptly turned and left, rubbing the front of his neck thoughtfully.

It was night by the time he managed to reach home. He opened his apartment door, quickly sidestepping the entrance, and watched as his pet fell flat on his face. He eyed the blond as he muttered under his breath, before reaching down and grabbing his ear. Then he dragged the blond into the house towards the bathroom, ignoring his yelps of pain as he pulled on his ear.

He closed the door to the bathroom, and ordered, "Strip," before stoppering the bathtub and quickly turning on the water. He added the bubble bath liquid to it, and then turned the water off once it was three fourths of the way full.

He watched as a tanned toe gingerly touched the water before the man completely submerged himself. The blond leaned back against the wall, and let out a contented sigh before scooting over to where Gaara was.

He leaned his arms on the side of the tub, and rested his head on them before saying, "Would you like to come in? The water's fine."

Gaara gave the blond a look, before grabbing his head and dunking it in the water. He let go of the blond's head and reached around to get the shower head along with the shampoo and conditioner. Pet turned his head around so that his back was facing Gaara.

The red head tugged the other man's head back, and added shampoo to his hands before furiously scrubbing the blond's head.

The blond grabbed his wrists after a few minutes, and Gaara blinked down at the mop of blond hair.

"You're hurting me, a little," Pet explained. "Did something bad happen at work?"

"No," Gaara said. He grabbed the shower head, and gently rinsed the soap out of the blond hair, running his fingers through it, probing for any soapy remains. The blond sighed and relaxed under his touch, allowing the subject to fade.

"Something did happen at work," the red head said faintly.

"A good thing?" the blond asked as he leaned his head to the left when Gaara rubbed behind his right ear. The blond let out a soft sigh.

"I don't know."

"Why don't you tell me about it?" the blond coaxed him.

Gaara grabbed the conditioner and palmed the heavier soap before rubbing it into the blond hair. He started hesitantly, "I made a woman cry again."

It wasn't until he told him about the scene with Kankuro that he realized what that strange feeling was.

He leaned the blond's head back, looking straight into the blue eyes, and said in awe, "I was happy. Happy that they considered me one of them."

Pet gazed at him in astonishment, before he smiled up at Gaara softly, his eyes gentle, holding an emotion the red head couldn't read. "Of course they consider you one of them. You're their friend."

The red head stared at the pet for a second longer, before reaching around to spray the blond with the shower head, unable to break himself away.

The blond spluttered, and his eyes narrowed in a glare aimed at him.

Gaara stood up abruptly, and said, "I'm finished with my part." Then he quickly left the bathroom.

He was flipping a burger when Pet finally came out of the bathroom wearing his clothes, not Kankuro's. He was stuffing a hand down one pocket, straightening out the inner lining. Then he looked over at Gaara, "Thanks for getting my clothes washed, it's nice to have them back again."

The red head nodded slowly, "I figured you'd like to wear your own clothes home."

The blond looked at him quizzically, "Home? Are you kicking me out?"

"No, of course not," he said as he flipped a burger. "However, it's Saturday, and I told you that you only had to stay until today. I figured you'd be happy now that you can leave," he glanced over at the blond.

"Well, if you're not kicking me out, then I'm staying," the blond said lazily, hands locked behind his neck.

"Why?" Gaara asked incredulously.

"Why?" Pet repeated. "Hmm, I guess it's because I get free room and board, and your cooking is delicious. Besides, there are the added perks," he said cheekily.

"Perks?"

"Who else can say that their master has deep ruby hair, pale skin like moonlight, and eyes like tur-Ow!" Pet cried out, rubbing his head where the red head's turner had hit him. "What was that for?"

Gaara glared at him, "If you didn't mean any of that, then don't say it."

"Who said I didn't mean it?" the blond grumbled as he picked the turner off the floor. He went over to the kitchen sink and washed it off before reaching over and grabbing the kitchen towel off of Gaara's shoulder. He dried off the turner and handed it to the red head. He eyed the turner before using it to flip a sizzling burger.

"Hey, is this a scar or a tattoo?" the blond asked, his hands slowly reaching up to touch Gaara's forehead.

In a flash, the turner was between the blond's hands and Gaara's face. Gaara's cold eyes glared at the blond man over the turner. "Don't touch," he hissed.

Pet froze, then slowly backed away, looking down.

When Gaara didn't move from his position, the blond gently took the turner out of his pale hands and saved the burning burgers.

"Gaara, I'm sorry," he said, looking him in the eyes. "I shouldn't have tried to touch it."

The cool eyes blinked and he looked down only to see the burgers were gone. "No, you shouldn't have," he said coldly. He glanced at the three lines on either side of Pet's face, similar to whiskers. "I don't ask you about your scars."

"Scars?" he asked quizzically, before he reached up to touch his face. "Oh, you mean these? They're not scars, they're a weird birthmark I got from my mom," he paused, and looked up, before saying, "I think."

Gaara frowned at the lines, "That's a strange birthmark."

The blond laughed, "Like you have any room to talk, I mean, either those black rings around your eyes are birthmarks, or it's a sign of some strange skin disease, 'cause I know that they're not makeup."

"They're a birthmark," the red head said shortly.

"Really?" Pet said leaning back against the counter. "Who'd you get them from? And why doesn't Temari have them?" he added as an afterthought.

Gaara picked up the plate of burgers and set them on the table before answering, "I got them from my father, albeit, his weren't as prominent, only when he'd stay up late or when he was stressed could you see them. Temari and Kankuro just got lucky."

"Kankuro?"

"My older brother."

"You have an older sister and brother? Oh," the pet shook his head. "Right, I remember Temari saying something about a brother. You're really lucky to have siblings," Pet said wistfully.

Gaara paused, lettuce trickling out of his hands into the bowl, "I suppose, but it has taken me a while to realize it. Could you get the salad dressing out of the fridge? Then dinner is ready."

"Sure," the blond said, grabbing two different dressings before sitting at the table and handing one to Gaara. "So, why'd it take you so long to figure it out?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well," he said, taking a bite of hamburger. "If I had siblings, I'd treasure them. Or maybe I wouldn't. I don't have siblings, but from what I do know is that siblings bicker and tease and annoy each other senseless, but at the end of the day, they have your back. At least, if the sibling doesn't have some weird complexes, and, well, some are probably genuinely good siblings, and," he paused and laughed. "Sorry, I'm rambling."

"It wasn't like that in my family. Temari and Kankuro ignored me up until I was eight years old-"

"What? Why? How could they do that to you?" Pet was getting ready to stand up, hand clenched in fists.

"Calm down, Pet," the red head ordered. Pet sat. "You didn't even hear everything, so calm down," he added, as the blond was fidgeting in his seat. "Father told Temari and Kankuro that I had killed Mother during child birth. They were told to ignore me, so they listened. It wasn't until Temari was twelve that she realized how wrong it was to accuse a baby of murder, and tried to make up for it. I don't blame them. They had lost a mother, and the only other parent left told them to ignore me."

Gaara sighed, "However, by the time I was eight, I wanted nothing to do with anyone. I would go to school, come home, and write down everything that happened. It was the truth as I knew it. Yet, Temari and Kankuro never gave up on me. It took me four years before I even talked to them, and I'm still working on it."

Pet gave him a sad smile, "So that's how it is."

"Yes," the red head said, taking a bite of his hamburger. The conversation died off, and they quietly ate their dinner. Yet, every time he looked up, Pet was watching, a question lurking below the blue orbs, but he never voiced it.

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><p>AN: Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! Yay! I have a beta!


	5. Chapter 5: The Trouble With Information

**Title**: Iris

**Author**: LadySable (LiveJournal)/StoryBard(here)

**Pairings**: GaaNaruGaa

**Rating**: T

**WARNINGS**: This will have heterosexuality and homosexuality. If either offend you, this is not the story for you.

**Disclaimer**: Gaara and Naruto are properties of Masashi Kishimoto. I do not make money from this fan made work.

**Summary**: AU/AR Gaara adopts a pet unlike any other.

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><p><strong>Chapter 5: The Trouble with Information<strong>

Kankuro burst through the door, and strode up to Gaara's desk. He lightly banged the desk in front of Gaara to get his little brother's attention. When the red head looked up, he saw that his brother was frowning down at him.

"Why haven't I heard about this friend of yours? I hear about the pet, and the blond gigolo, but not once have I heard about this supposed friend of yours until a month later! I had to hear it from Temari!" Kankuro groused.

Gaara blinked at him blankly, "I didn't tell you?"

"No!"

"Oh," the red head said absentmindedly. "It must have slipped my mind."

"How does something like that slip your mind?"

"You tend to forget that you have dates set up, and go out partying with friends instead," Gaara pointed out. "How does that slip your mind?"

"Because they aren't important!" Kankuro said, throwing his hands to the ceiling in frustration. "But this is! You've never had a friend before!"

"You know now, what more do you want?" Gaara asked, shrugging dismissively as his eyes wander over the newspaper.

"I'd like to know before someone tells me," Kankuro said, muttering. "Especially Temari."

Kankuro sighed when Gaara said nothing, staring intently at something in the newspaper.

"Kankuro," Gaara said suddenly, surprising his older brother.

"Yeah?"

"Do you know who this person is?" Gaara said, turning the paper around, and pointing at an image on the paper.

Kankuro leaned over, and said, "Yeah, it says Uzumaki Naruto, did you forget how to read or something?"

Gaara glared at him, "No, and I wanted to know more than just his name."

Kankuro looked at Gaara hard, then said, "You know, martial artists are Matsuri's section, why don't you ask her?"

Gaara stood up, ready to go and ask her, when Kankuro said, "Fine, I'll tell you what I know." The red head slowly sat down, and Kankuro rubbed at his face before he said, "From what I know, the kid goes to the Konoha Dojo, which is the most expensive martial arts school in the state because it's that good. If you're trained at that dojo, it's an all or nothing; it's way too expensive to quit after you've started. They have the best teachers and equipment, too.

"However, it's amazing that Uzumaki is able to even go there because he's an orphan. The dojo is actually sponsoring him, which is surprising because the dojo has never sponsored anyone. All the other students have to train hard enough to get sponsors from wealthy companies, and they have to be extremely good." Kankuro paused, and then said, "Not that I'm saying Uzumaki isn't any good, he's better than most of the students in his class, but they call him Child of the Gangs in Konoha."

"'Child of the Gangs?'"

"He was the last survivor of that gang war twenty years ago, or, at least, that's what I heard from this one guy in Konoha. Shikamaru didn't seem to like him all that much, but considering the fact that the gangs were so prominent in Konoha, there's no way he could just be calling Uzumaki that without there being a lot of truth behind it. No one would wish that kind of name upon their sworn enemy, much less a child."

"What do you mean by 'last survivor'?" Gaara asked, leaning his chin against his interlaced fingers.

"Well, that's just what the guy said. I didn't actually look to see if there was any proof to his statement," Kankuro said sheepishly.

"Do you know anything else?"

"No," Kankuro said hesitantly. "Why are you interested in this guy anyway? It's not just because of the article, 'cause if it was, you'd of known about him, but you only asked because it was in the newspaper."

"No reason," the red head murmured as he turned the newspaper back towards himself, and stared at the wide grin on the blond's face.

He looked up when Kankuro cursed, and saw him staring at his watch. "If I don't get to my office in two minutes the old man's going to get on my case again," Kankuro grumbled the explanation to Gaara, before quickly leaving the office.

The red head watched as his brother passed in front of his window, running his hand through his brunette hair, and then watched as Kankuro backtracked to his office again, "One more thing, if you see that Uzumaki dude, avoid him. I've heard he's a demon." Then he closed the door, and left for good.

Gaara traced the smile on the blond's face, and wondered if it was all just a cleverly designed mask.

* * *

><p>It was during lunch that he realized that he hadn't managed to get the blond out of his mind as much as he wanted to.<p>

He hadn't realized that he'd been staring at the old man's wrinkly forehead far longer than was appropriate until he asked, "Is there something on my forehead?"

Gaara blinked. Then he stuffed his hand into his pocket and took out a piece of paper. After Kankuro had left, he'd taken out his scissors, and cut out the picture of Uzumaki Naruto and the information below the image. He handed the clipping over to the old man, and asked, "Do you know anything about this person?"

"Uzumaki Naruto, huh?" the old man mussed, his bushy white eyebrows furrowing. "Yes, he's called Child of the Gangs in Konoha. He was one of the few that survived the gang war twenty years ago, amazing because he was only three months old at the time."

"One of the few?" Gaara pushed.

"Yes, only the strongest members of the gang, the leaders, managed to get away alive. What disgusts me is the close minded brains of the people who investigated that particular incident, assuming that the boy was a child of a gangster, and not even noticing that two of the casualties was two of the finest people in Konoha." The old man shifted in his chair, and grumbled irritatedly, "Stupid hips."

The red head looked at the man, frowning, "How do you know all of this?"

The man stopped shifting and chuckled, "I keep forgetting how young you are. I used informants, and I'm friends with some of the higher echelons of Konoha."

"Informants?"

"Yes, informants. They're people who can give you information that is truthful, but was attained in an unsavory fashion, and have no proof of it being true. What they do know, though, is the witnesses, and people close to the incident, and information about those people," the old man paused, and sipped some of his hot tea.

Gaara nodded slightly, "If you know about the person you're interviewing, then you can avoid certain topics that might trigger something, or you can pursue topics that will definitely help out the article. It's not necessarily that you're looking for information for the article, but rather information about the person you will be interviewing," he mused, thinking aloud.

"Correct," the old man said, "And you need as much help as you can get with interviewing people. Like," he said, gesturing to the clipping, "I bet you thought that boy was just a happy idiot, and that there was nothing more to him."

Gaara nodded, and the man looked at him critically.

"Do you know this boy?"

"Yes."

"Then I'd suggest that you have him tell you what's going on, rather than trying to figure it out from second-hand sources," the red head nodded, having already decided on doing so when he got home. "Is this boy your friend?" the old man asked.

He thought about it for a moment, and then nodded.

"Ah, so this is the young man Kankuro was bemoaning about," the old man chuckled. "Funny how you have a blond gigolo living with you and your friend is blond, maybe they're one and the same?" The man chuckled heartily when the red head glowered at him. "Ah, no mind." The man's chuckles subsided, and he leaned over, and told Gaara seriously, "If you don't want to lose a friendship, you wait until your friend is ready to tell you their secret. You don't push them into a corner and force them to tell you. That kills a friendship."

Gaara glared at the old man, "Why are you telling me this?"

The old man sighed, "Because this is your one and only friend, outside of Temari and Kankuro. I don't want you to make a mistake and lose someone that will become precious to you."

"What did you mean that you have friends in Konoha?" Gaara asked, quickly changing the subject, "And how do they help out?"

The old man rubbed his chin, "Well, they know Konoha a lot better than we do, and we do write articles about things in Konoha, as well, you've even written articles about things going on in Konoha, and if you know some people there, it makes it all that easier. Besides, you can save money by spending the night with a friend," the old man chuckled. "If only I was younger." He looked at Gaara sternly and said, "Enjoy your youth."

Gaara stared at him for a moment, and then took a bite of his sandwich. He watched as the old man fiddled with the clipping, looking at it curiously. "I heard Tsunade adopted the boy," he muttered.

"Hmm?"

"Nothing, my boy, just an old man musing."

He looked at the man, and ate the last bit of his lunch, crunching the wrappers into a ball. "If you'll excuse me," he mumbled, and the old man nodded. He threw away the trash, and headed back to his office.

He gathered the articles to be edited and got back to work.

At least he tried to.

Pet was turning out to be an unexpected mystery, and this Naruto that could be his pet. He was 99 percent sure that Pet and Naruto was the same person, but until he asked, he couldn't be so sure. He had never wondered about Pet's true identity. It had never crossed his mind to think there would be more to the blond, and his fingers itched to call and demand answers.

He did the next best thing: he called the number on the clipping.

Gaara tapped his fingers impatiently on his desk as he waited for the call to pick up.

"Hello?" a feminine voice said on the other end.

"I'm calling about Uzumaki Naruto," he said shortly.

"Did you find him?" the voice asked frantically.

Gaara opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted. "That idiotic brat! I bet he was just hiding away from me! Jiraiya is corrupting him! Next thing I know, he's going to follow in that old perverts foot steps and start writing pornos!"

The red head paused, his rhythmic tapping halted, then he hesitantly started the tapping up again when the woman on the other end began ranting about how Jiraiya was corrupting her cute godson.

After listening to her rant for more than ten minutes, Gaara considered hanging up, and letting his pet deal with the woman. It was at that moment that the woman began ranting about someone the red head had no clue as to how they were connected to the blond. He hung up with no remorse.

His curiosity sated for the moment, he easily began editing the articles.

When he got off work, he checked his phone, and was startled to see that there were ten missed calls. He looked and saw that they were all from the woman he called earlier. Gaara frowned. If she was that concerned over Naruto and if his pet was Naruto, then the blond might be persuaded to go back home.

Gaara walked the rest of the way home, and opened the door to his apartment, side stepping his pet as he tried to pounce on him. The blond hit his face flat on the ground, and growled frustratedly. He pouted up at the red head. "No fair," he groused.

"If you keep doing the same thing," Gaara said, "I'm going to learn it, and avoid it." He looked down at the blond, and then easily stepped over the prone body on the ground.

"You could have just told me that," the blond griped, as he stood up and closed the door to the apartment. He turned around, and frowned at the red head. "You know, that was really cold. You didn't even bother giving me a helping hand."

"Hmm?" Gaara said, blinking out of his blank stare at Pet.

The blond glared at him petulantly, "You didn't even hear a word I said, did you?"

Gaara shook his head, and paused hesitantly as he wrapped his hand around the cell phone in his pocket.

"Oh, well," the blond said, lacing his fingers behind his neck, grinning at him. His hand tightened around the phone. "Hey, you haven't watered the cacti in over a week, shouldn't you water them now? There were heat wave warnings; I even went to the local gym to run this morning."

"Yes, I should do that," the red head said, his hand slowly removing itself from the phone. He grabbed the water pail, and slipped out the sliding door, Pet tailing him.

The red head listened absentmindedly as the blond chattered, the phone a constant weight in his pocket.

As the sun was going down, a breeze picked up, ruffling their hair. Pet smiled, staring down at the city as street lights flickered on. His eyes slowly turned towards Gaara, as if unaware that he was being stared at, a hint of a smile on his face. His eyes focused on the red head, and they widened, his smile slowly disappearing as he stared calmly back.

A huge gust of wind blew up, causing both men to shield their eyes.

When the gust subsided, Pet frowned, looking up at the sky. "A storm's blowing in from Konoha; we should go inside."

Gaara nodded, his chest heavy.

When they got inside, he took out his cellphone and dialed the woman. As soon as he heard her pick up, he handed the phone to Pet, his blue eyes narrowed in confusion and curiosity. He took the phone gingerly, and raised it to his ears, and said, "Hello?"

A second later, the blond nearly threw the phone across the room in his haste to get the phone away from his ear. A wince formed on his face and he glared at the phone in his left hand as he carefully rubbed his right ear.

Gaara smirked, and murmured, "Karma."

The blond glared at him, and then placed the phone on his left ear. "Granny? Wha-Why does Gaara have your number?"

The red head quietly fished the clipping out of his pocket and handed it over. He watched the blond's eyes flash over the clipping and said, "Oh." The blond paused, frowning as he heard something on the other end of the line.

"What? Granny, no, I haven't been kidnapped. Yes, yes, that's right." Gaara looked over at the kitchen, and then slowly made his way to his room, wanting to give the blond some privacy. "I'm in good health. Probably better health than I've ever been! 'Cause get this, I'm eating vegetables!" The blond scowled, "No, Granny, they aren't torturing me through veggies, Gaara's just a really good cook," the blond blinked, and then said, "Just a second Granny."

He covered the mouth piece and said, "Hey! Gaara! What's for dinner?"

The red head paused, his hands on the gilded gold door handle. "Do you want something to eat?"

"Yeah! I'm starving! I haven't eaten anything except breakfast and lunch!"

"I'll make something, then," the red head mumbled, coming back into the living room, avoiding Pet, and Pet's eyes.

"Okay, I'm back," the blond said. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's really nice here." Gaara paused, then lifted the round stoneware up onto the stove, and blocked out most of his pet's conversation. It wasn't until the tone in pet's voice grew somber that Gaara tuned in.

"What do you mean that they're active again? Besides, what does this have to do with me? I don't have any connections to them, at least that's what the police report says. There's no way that they'd know about me."

Gaara looked over to see his Pet's usually cheerful face subdued. He turned back to making dinner, troubled.

"They're in Suna? Why would they be-" the blond trailed off, then loudly said, "What do you mean they had a secret base in Suna? I thought they were only in Konoha?" There was a pause, and the blond chuckled darkly, "Granny, you're making them sound more like the mafia than a gang."

Gaara dropped a pepperoni on the floor, and hesitated, looking over at his blond before picking it up and throwing it away.

"What are you saying, Granny?" I'm not coming back to Konoha. I like it here, and besides if they want me, it doesn't matter if I'm in Konoha or Suna, does it?"

Gaara put dinner into the oven, and leaned against the counter, relief coursing through his body. His eyes widened, startled at the feeling, then clutched the scar above his left eye.

"Are you all right, Gaara?"

The red head released a breath of air, turned, and nodded to the blond. The blue eyes narrowed, and his mouth opened, only to close as he listened intently to the woman on the other end.

"Granny," he said sternly. "Stop. I'm not that kid you rescued twelve years ago. I'm twenty, and I know how to take care of myself. You, Iruka, Kakashi, and the Pervy Hermit made sure of that." Pet took a deep breath, and calmly said, "Trust me."

After a moment, the blond relaxed and softly smiled. "Thanks, Granny, that means a lot to me." Suddenly he gave a delightful smile, "How're my friends doing in Konoha?"

Gaara ignored the rest of the conversation, as it turned to cheerful chattering, and leaned against his counter, watching a bug flit around the kitchen light.

It wasn't until he smelled dinner that he broke his stare at the bug, not noticing the sudden silence in the apartment as he opened the oven door, and peered into it. Satisfied, he took the dinner out of the oven, and quickly cut it.

He hadn't realized the blond was right behind him, until the man suddenly said, "Pizza! You can make pizza? You must be a god! A wonderfully marvelous cooking god! All you need to learn now is how to make ramen!"

It wasn't until they were sitting down, eating the pizza that Gaara asked, "Why aren't you going back to Konoha?"

The blond paused mid bite, "Well, I like it here, and you cook really well." The blond frowned and said, "Just because I said that, does not mean that your food is taking ramen's place as my favorite food. Nothing can take ramen's spot. Not even delicious homemade pizza."

Gaara smiled slightly, "Of course not. You eat ramen for breakfast and lunch. I only make dinner so that you can at least get vegetables in somewhere."

"Vegetables?" The blond peered carefully at his pizza. "I don't see any vegetables."

"I cut some spinach very thinly. It's in the pizza sauce, and there's a little on top."

"You mean this green stuff that's sprinkled on the cheese? I thought that was just a seasoning."

"Yes, that's spinach. Most seasonings are derived from plants, and created when they find a tasteful mixture, if you want to think of it as seasoning, then it wouldn't be too far from the truth."

The blond nodded, and then said, "There's also the fact that if I go back to Konoha, I'm going to be really distracted by my friends, and I won't be able to focus on getting better for the huge martial arts tournament in October."

Gaara paused, and set down his fork, "Why would your friends distract you?"

"Well, I mean, Lee would be cool, 'cause he gets up even earlier than I do just to run and practice. However, there's Sakura and Ino, who, even though they're reporters, leave their work, and come to get me to go shopping or hang out with them in the middle of day. During work! Yet, they can get away with it, 'cause whenever they go out there's like a nine in ten chance of them getting a hit story. Shikamaru was the one who did the estimate, so I'm pretty sure it's as close of an estimate that we're going to get."

Gaara startled. It was odd hearing his brother-in-law's name coming out of the blond's so easily, even though he knew they knew each other.

"Chouji likes taking me out to eat for lunch, 'cause he has an online blog about restaurants, and it sometimes helps him to have a second opinion. He's even sold a few books, it's really interesting," the pet paused. "I think that's about everyone who distracts me, but there's also Neji, TenTen, and Sasuke at the dojo, but they rarely distract me. I'm more of the distractor to them," he said, rubbing a hand along the back of his neck, sheepishly.

"Oh! Here, there's Kiba, he's been asking me to take Akamaru out during the day, and has invited me to go out sometimes, but he's definitely not as bad as Sakura and Ino. Shino invites me over for lunch, but he's a vegan, and he's quiet. You know, I think you two could be pretty good friends, but you'd have to start the conversation somehow," the blond mused about it for a second, and then let it drift off.

The blond looked up at Gaara, and then looked down, embarrassedly, and quietly said, "There's Gaara, who let's me live with him for free, and doesn't ask anything in return. He makes really delicious food, and even makes me eat vegetables so I'll be healthy." The blond paused, and scratched his chin sheepishly, a slight blush on his face, "And he takes me as I am, and doesn't care about my flaws."

Gaara stared at the blond, unsure of what he should say, what the situation required.

The silence was palpable, and the blond stood up, empty plate in hand, and took it to the sink.

"Thanks for dinner, I think I'm going to bed now," the blond said a little too loudly, his eyes avoiding Gaara's.

As he passed in front of the table, Gaara quietly said, "Thanks, Naruto."

The blond blushed, and took a step away from the red head. "Th-That's the first time you've said my name," he said stammering before fleeing to his room.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! Sorry for the delay. School just started up, and I have a Beta! *crowd cheers* My beta is OnlyWishedYouKnew, and there's a link on my profile to her account. She doesn't have any Naruto fanfiction, sadly.


	6. Chapter 6: Stalker

**Title**: Iris

**Author**: LadySable (LiveJournal)/StoryBard()

**Pairings**: GaaNaruGaa

**Rating**: T

**WARNING**: This will have heterosexuality and homosexuality. If either offend you, this is not the story for you.

**Disclaimer**: The characters are properties of Masashi Kishimoto. I do not make money from this fan made work.

**Summary**: AU/AR Gaara adopts a pet unlike any other.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6: Stalker<strong>

Gaara was walking to his office when Baki stopped him, "We have two new transfers today."

He paused, and asked, "New transfers?"

"Yes, there's a man and a woman. Both from Konoha, oddly enough," Baki mused. "The man is in your section, and the woman is in Kankuro's. The Veteran told me to tell you; he threw out his back last night, so I'm in charge until he comes back." With that, Baki left.

Gaara gazed after the retreating man for a moment, and then entered his office. He jerked back in surprise when he saw a dark haired man in his office. The man turned and appraised Gaara.

"Hello," he said, a sickeningly sweet smile on his face.

"Hello," Gaara said, eyeing the man as he walked to the chair behind his desk and sat down. He motioned for the other man to do the same. "You must be the new transfer, what's your name?"

The man gave a slight nod, and said, "Tanaka Sai." Then he handed over a folder.

Gaara took it, and flipped it open, noticing clippings from _The Konoha Times_, all of which had Sai's name under the headings. He eyed the first clipping for a second, then stood up, motioning for Sai to follow him.

He led the dark haired man to an empty cubicle, and said, "This is your workspace. You can decorate it, just make sure there's nothing obscene. The printer, fax, and extra office supplies are over there," he gestured to the right. "If you have any questions ask the people around you, they're also part of the same section, or come ask me."

Sai gave a short nod then Gaara left.

He went back to his office and sat down before looking at Sai's articles. As he began to read the third article, he couldn't help feeling that Sai's writing was oddly familiar. He had yet to figure it out by lunch.

Gaara was drinking a strawberry banana slushy in the cafeteria while reading the articles when Kankuro came by his table. He eyed his older brother, taking in the rock band T-shirt that he was wearing. He popped the straw out of his mouth and said, "Kankuro, your shirt is too informal for work, you'll give the underlings ideas."

Kankuro glared at the red head, "I did change. I got a stain on my button-up shirt earlier, and this is the only other shirt I had in my office."

"The only other shirt in your office is a rock band T-shirt?"

"Shut up," Kankuro groused as he slumped into the chair beside Gaara, and laid his head on the table, his arms coming up around it.

"What happened to your button-up shirt?"

Kankuro grumbled into his arm, then he said, "I only flirted with the new transfer a little bit, and she dumped her ice coffee on me!"

"Oh," the red head said, before going back to drinking his slushy.

"And it was my favorite shirt, too! There was something about it that made it so much more comfortable than all the other button-ups I wear," his brother griped.

"Kankuro, it's not like it's stained forever. Just get some stain remover, and it should be gone if you wash it tonight," Gaara lectured.

"Maybe I liked it 'cause it looked really good with my cat hood in the winter?" the brunette mused. "Or maybe it's 'cause it's made out of a different fabric than the others? Or it could be-"

"Kankuro, shut up," the red head glowered at the brunette. He watched Kankuro flinch, and sighed. He turned back to his slushy, and screwed his face up in distaste. It was making his stomach churn.

"Here," he said, thrusting the slushy over to the brunette, who took it in awe.

"You're giving me the slushy? The slushy that you only drink once or twice a year because it's so uber delicious that to drink it more than that would ruin it?"

"Kankuro," the red head warned.

"Okay, okay," the brunette said defensively. He took the slushy, and eyed the straw. "You know, this is the first time I've ever drank after you."

Gaara glared at him.

"What? I'm just saying. I mean, Temari and I have drank after each other, but neither of us have drank after you." Kankuro made a fiendish grin, "I can't wait to tell Tem. She's going to kill me."

"You can't wait for Temari to kill you?" he asked.

Kankuro took a sip, his face turning dreamy. "That is the best slushy, ever," he said, looking at it with curiosity. "Wherever did you get this? I thought this was just one of your strange quirks, but this really has got to be the best slushy, ever."

"There's a cafe across the street, but they're not known for their coffee," Gaara paused. "I don't even think they make coffee, just tea, slushies, and other drinks and food that go with the two."

"Why don't you drink tea from there?"

"I only like to drink tea I make."

"You drink tea Tem makes."

"It's only polite, and I don't mind her tea, much."

"Are you two gay?"

Gaara and Kankuro turned and saw Sai standing near them. He faked a smile, and said, "Oh, you're brothers, so does that mean you're in an incestuous relationship?"

The brothers abruptly stood up, and left the table. When they were out of Sai's hearing range, Kankuro asked, "Who was that?"

"My new transfer," Gaara glowered.

"Man, we just have bad luck. I mean, I get the pink haired feminist, and you get the dark haired weirdo who has a broken smile. Where did we go wrong?" Kankuro asked, his voice pitched high.

"Stop. You're not writing an article for a drama, you're at work," the red head said.

Kankuro blinked, "Right, we're at work. I forgot, 'cause I wasn't wearing my awesome button-up shirt."

Gaara closed his eyes in irritation, and placed his fingertips against his forehead, willing away the headache that his brother was bound to bring forth.

"Crap! I forgot to initiate the pink fem. Gotta go, Gaara. Thanks for the slushy!"

The red head opened his eyes, and looked over to see Kankuro gone.

* * *

><p>Gaara tapped his fingers on his desk in irritation. Not only was his new transfer causing a ruckus with his thoughtless comments, but he was also starting wars between the workers. The females adored him; thought he was charming, and sabotaged each other's attempts to woo the man. The men were angry at the new guy for attracting the women, and making comments on their masculinity or lack there of.<p>

On top of all that, Gaara had kept reading and rereading his articles for the past week, trying to figure out why they seemed familiar, without any luck.

He glared at the article he was working on, focusing on the name of the author.

Something tapped him on the head, he jerked back, and stared at a puppet that looked similar to him. Then he glowered up at the man holding the strings to the puppet. "What are you doing, Kankuro?" he hissed.

The brunette smiled, and moved back to sit in one of the leather chairs across his desk, dangling the puppet over the arm rests, playing with it.

"Nothing, I just came to see my little brother at work, and to show him my latest creation," Kankuro said, his eyes widened to show his innocence.

"If I believed that, I wouldn't have said anything," Gaara said. "You should transfer to another newspaper."

"Why would I do that? Then I wouldn't get to see my little brother anymore," the brunette brought the puppet up to face level, looked at it, then looked back at Gaara. "Huh, even the face looks the same, I did a really good job."

Gaara let out a harsh breath through his nose, and then picked up his pen, ignoring the weird things his brother was making his puppet spout out.

It took the brunette a few minutes to realize that his brother was ignoring him, having gotten so engrossed into making his puppet Gaara say things that the real one would never say in reality. "There was a reason I came by," he said without care, dropping the puppet onto Gaara's desk.

The red head frowned down at the puppet; it looked like his puppet was tied up. He moved the strings so that his puppet was free.

"What reason?" Gaara asked, as he picked up his pen and crossed out a sentence on the article in front of him.

"Well, you know how I was talking about that new transfer girl?" The red head nodded. "I think she might be stalking you or something. 'Cause as soon as she found out that you were my brother, she kept asking me questions about you, she even asked me out on a date," the brunette added with a smug grin.

"You're selling information about me for a date?"

"Hey, she asked me out, and while she's been asking about you all week, that doesn't mean I understand that she wants me to give information about you for a date. She never said anything like that, so I'm going, and I'm retaining my knowledge. I'll be such an awesome date that she'll be sure to ask me out again."

Gaara shook his head, "Just be safe. I don't want to meet any kids of yours just yet."

"Don't worry, I'll leave all that baby stuff to Temari," Kankuro said, with a wave of his hand, then his eyes widened in shock and he clamped his hands over his mouth.

Quirking his brow, he asked, "Temari's having a baby?"

"N-No," Kankuro said, shifting in his seat. He looked at the picture behind Gaara as if it was the most fascinating thing he'd ever seen.

"Don't lie," the red head chided.

"Uh, Y-Yeah, she's, um, having a baby, she's only a month or two along, and oh, man she's going to kill me," Kankuro rambled, his hands clutching his hair. "She wanted to come down and tell you herself, and make a big surprise out of it, and now I'm going to be dead before I turn twenty-six," the brunette whimpered.

"I'm going to be an uncle," the red head mused.

Kankuro stopped rocking in his seat, "Hey, we're both going to be uncles." The brunette tried to exchange a mischievous smile with Gaara, but the red head was giving the article on his desk a blank look. "So, now it's payback time."

"Hmm?"

"Well, we can teach Tem's kid how to make hell on earth for her and Shikamaru. Like how to spit, and throw things at his mom, and teach him curse words, and how to sneak frogs into the teacher's desk." Kankuro began chuckling, "This is going to be fun."

"If you want to shorten your life, go ahead. Besides, shouldn't you be doing something?"

"What? Oh, right, I have an article about a rock band to work on," Kankuro stood up and stretched. "Be careful of that girl, okay? You know, stalkers are a lot more dangerous than they look." He grabbed the puppet.

"Then why are you going on a date with her?"

"Because it'll be fun," Kankuro grinned. "Besides, she's not stalking me."

Gaara waved him off with a flick of his wrist, "Yes, I'll be careful, now go before you start gossiping about something else."

"You'll be careful?"

"Yes, I have a pet now, so I should be fine."

"Only if it's a big dog," Kankuro said.

"It's a very big pet, and it can easily take out a person," Gaara said. "Now get to work, you've wasted more than enough time here."

"Okay," Kankuro said, hesitating, then he left the red head's office.

* * *

><p>He had thought his pet would take care of the stalker, but at the moment, he was remedying that original thought. There, in his apartment, on his couch, was a pink haired woman, chatting happily with his blond who looked just as happy.<p>

When he'd opened his door, he'd expected Naruto to jump him, but he didn't, and now the blond had not even noticed that he had just entered the apartment. He didn't want the pet to try to pounce on him when he entered, but now that he wasn't doing it, he missed it.

The blond turned and noticed him. His eyes brightened, and his voice was high with delight, "Gaara! You're back! Why didn't you say anything?"

The pink haired woman turned to look at him, and he glowered. "I'm going to water the cacti, will you come with me?" he hissed to the blond.

Naruto looked at him, and gave a quick nod.

Gaara grabbed the water tin from underneath the kitchen sink, and slid open the glass door, leaving it open for his pet to follow him out the door. He was watering the first plant when he heard the soft thud of the sliding door close.

He turned to the blond, jabbing the watering can at him, "Who is that?"

Naruto raised his hands in defense, "That's Sakura. She's the girl I told you about a week or so ago. She's my friend."

Gaara blinked, and set the watering can aside, "Kankuro was telling me that there was a new woman in his section with pink hair asking about me. I don't think pink is too common of a hair color." He looked over at Naruto, a hand on his hip, as he waited for his answer.

The blond's brow wrinkled, then he cursed, "It's Granny meddling again. She probably sent Sakura here to check and make sure nothing bad's happening." Then Naruto grinned, "And she probably wanted to see what you're like. She trusts Sakura's judgement better than mine."

The red head picked up the watering can, and finished watering the rest of the cacti. Then he said, "Just tell me the next time before a friend comes over. I don't like to see people I don't know in my house."

Naruto nodded, "That's fair enough. I'm sorry for not telling you about Sakura, but she sort of popped up unannounced, and then she started filling me in on all the gossip I missed, and time ran away." He slid the glass door open, and ushered the red head in, following close behind.

Sakura stood up when they entered, and looked over at them, "Hey, Naruto, can I talk to you before I go? It's kind of important," she added giving Gaara a hesitant look.

"It's okay Sakura, Gaara won't blab about anything," he said, glancing back at the red head before turning to the woman. He went over and sat on the couch, motioning for her to sit back down. "Besides, he'll be too busy making dinner to notice our conversation."

Sakura looked at him startled, then turned to look back at the red head. Gaara gave a slight nod and went to the kitchen.

'Nights you don't feel like cooking,' he remembered Temari saying. Before Naruto, he'd never felt like cooking dinner at all, but now he understood what she meant. He sat the pot on the stove and filled it with water, trying to ignore Sakura and Naruto.

At first, he couldn't hear them, they were far too quiet for their whispers to reach his ears, but then Naruto's volume rose.

"I just want to be acknowledged, Sakura," Naruto said, his voice weary. "He's like a brother to me, he was one of my first friends, and I think I was the same for him. If anything, I just want him to be happy."

"Oh, Naruto," Sakura sighed. "You see that Sasuke's unhappy, and you want to fix it, but Sasuke doesn't need to be fixed. He's fine," she paused, "No, that's not the right word for it, it's more like he's perfectly content with being alone and unhappy."

"But-"

Sakura interrupted him, "Naruto, you know what he was like after the massacre, but even before it, Sasuke was never the happiest child. He was dark and alone. The only person he cared about was Itachi, but even that was based in envy, at least from Sasuke's side. The only time I think he was happy was when Itachi helped him, and when his father praised him. Once."

"We helped him, though!" Naruto exclaimed. "Sasuke's our friend!"

"Yes, but that's because of you, Naruto. You did all the work; Sasuke would never have been friends with us if it weren't for you." Sakura was quiet for a moment, "You know, I think he's comfortable with his unhappiness. I suppose it's something familiar, comforting. I mean, he has never been the happiest person, and if he started smiling and acting like you, I would wonder if he'd snapped."

"What's that suppose to mean?" he grumbled.

"Nothing, just that Sasuke would never act like you." She chuckled, "And you know how Konoha is. It's the opposite of unhappy, and I wouldn't be surprised if he did snap, sooner or later. The only thing that's keeping him here is lack of information on Itachi, and because the Konoha Dojo still has things to teach him. At least, that's what they tell him."

There was a moment of silence.

"I know that you need to think about this more. It's a tough thing, figuring out where to go with your relationship after being told that you're trying to make a person into something they're not. I'm surprised Sasuke even told me anything, but maybe that's because I've grown up, and figured a few things out." Sakura paused, and said, "Just go and talk with him sometime, not now, but after you thought about it a little bit more. And maybe brood with him sometime," there was a hint of humor in that last sentence.

"Anyway, I have to go, Naruto. I have a huge deadline due tomorrow, and I've already spent way too much time here." There was a laugh, "I'm not used to being a minion again."

There was a quiet shuffling, a click as the door opened. "Bye, Sakura," Naruto said, there was a soft thud as the door closed.

Gaara stirred the ramen in the bowl, and watched as the pet trudged over to the dining room table, and flopped down in the chair. He slumped over the table, and rested his head on his crossed arms. The red head brought over the ramen, and slid it in front of the blond, sitting down across from his pet.

When the blond didn't even twitch, Gaara sighed, and tried to find some inspiration around him to make the pet talk. He soon gave up, as all that was around them were blank walls. He sighed.

"I think I'm going to have to kick you out."

Naruto rolled his eyes to look at Gaara.

"You're becoming a burden. You're supposed to be a pet, and I'm just supposed to feed you, right?"

The blond gave a slight nod.

"Well, right now, you're making me uneasy, so if you're not going to talk about it, and just mope around, then you can leave," he said, trying to make a mockery of his sternness, but it fell flat.

Naruto glared at him, then sighed. "Have you ever had one of your friends tell you that you're trying to change another friend into something they aren't, and you didn't even know it?"

"No."

"Then you wouldn't understand," he moaned.

"Naruto, you're the first friend I've ever had."

"What? But you're older than me! You've got to have some other friends!" the blond cried out in surprise.

Gaara looked at him, "No, you're the first. Even if I can't understand the whole situation, then the least I can do is listen. I may not be able to help in any other way, but I'm not going to let you mope and pout about it without at least telling me."

"I'm not pouting," was his petulant retort.

"No, of course not, you're bottom lip just naturally juts out like that."

The blond glowered at him, and then he sighed, "Fine, I'll tell you, but even I don't know everything."

He placed his head back down on his arms, and then said, "I just want my friends to be happy, because they saved me from the nightmare of being alone. They make me happy, so the least I could do is offer the same.

"Yet, Sakura tells me that Sasuke is happier being unhappy. That he's never been that happy, and to suddenly find happiness would make him not him," Naruto sighed. "I don't really understand because I've spent my whole life trying to be happy. When I'm with my friends they make me happier than anything.

"I want him to be happy because it's terrible to be alone. I've been there. It's hell. For anyone to want to be unhappy and alone, there must be something wrong, right?" Naruto's watery blue eyes locked onto his. "Now, Sakura's saying that he just wants to be alone, and the only thing we can do, if we're really his friends, is to let him go, and-"

"Naruto, I don't think she said anything about letting him go," Gaara inserted. "I think what she means is to let Sasuke be himself. Let him be unhappy and alone because it's a part of him, and accept him despite his faults." Gaara paused, "Only knowing the things I've heard about him, and what I've heard from you and Sakura, I'm surprised that Sasuke even bothered being your friends, if he's as unhappy as you say he is, and enjoys his isolation."

"He saved me, once, and almost died," Naruto mumbled.

"Ah, so despite the darkness, and despite the other things I've heard, Sasuke still has qualities that other people see and admire," Gaara said, more to himself than to Naruto.

"Sakura and Ino had a crush on him when they were preteens. Well, Sakura was in love with him, but Ino just had a crush," the blond muttered.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Just trying to give you a better picture."

"Oh. I get the feeling that you're trying to force Sasuke to be happy, rather than letting him find what makes him happy. Some people are happier doing unconventional or illegal things. Take serial killers, for instance, some of them enjoy killing, enjoy the power, and it makes them happy. To us, it's wrong that they're happy killing people because it's ethically immoral."

"Sasuke's not a serial killer, though."

Gaara glared at him, "That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying that your idea of happiness, and Sasuke's idea of happiness are different, and that for Sasuke, he'd probably be happiest when he's not happy."

Naruto blinked, and then sat up and glowered at him, "That's just a circular argument! It gets me no where! Besides how can a person be happy when they're unhappy!"

"The human mind is a strange thing," the red head said.

The blond stuck out his tongue, and then grabbed the ramen. "I'll think about this more later," he muttered, "Ramen now." Naruto took a bite, then made a face, and grumbled, "Cold ramen," before eating some more.

Gaara watched him eat, and then Naruto was waving his hand in front of his eyes. "What?" the red head asked, annoyed.

"You were just staring at me, I mean, I know I look good and all, but it gets creepy after a while. Besides, I was trying to ask you a question!" he said in a huff.

"What?"

"Well," the blond hedged, "What makes you happy?"

Gaara blinked, "I don't know."

"You don't know?" Naruto asked in disbelief.

"No," he paused. Then hesitantly said, "The only time I've ever felt anything akin to happiness has been this past month."

Naruto gave him a cheeky grin before eating some more.

Gaara stood up, tapping the table with his finger twice, "I'm going to be working in my office, don't be too loud."

The blond frowned, "Aren't you going to eat something."

"I'm not hungry."

"You're not getting sick, are you?"

"No, I never ate dinner before you came. I'm just not hungry."

Gaara ignored Naruto's frown, and turned to leave the room.

* * *

><p>AN: Oh, and I meant to write this last time but: THANK YOU to all my readers! The ones that review, alert, and/or favorite, especially, but even to all of you who are just passing by. It means a lot that there are people interested in my story!

And, on another note, a special thanks to my beta! Stephen King once wrote "to write is human, to edit is divine" (King, Stephen. _On Writing_. New York: Pocket Books, 2000. Print.). I am very much human, so thank you for being divine and editing this.

*Smiles* Oh, if only you knew what the first draft looked like. Oh my, the parts between Gaara and Kankuro... I feel bad that you will never know the joy of Gaara Germs, so I shall insert it here.

* * *

><p>First scene with Gaara and Kankuro, at lunch:<p>

Kankuro blinked, and gushed, "You're giving me the rest of your slushy? The slushy you only drink twice a year, but is so uber delicious that if anyone gets near it you almost kill them? You're the best lil' brother a guy could ask for."

"Shut it," Gaara grumbled, trying to ignore the stares coming their way.

Kankuro eyed the slushy, "This is weird, though. I've never drank after you, I mean, we're siblings, so it's not like we have different germs, but it's still weird. I've drank after Temari, but never after you."

"Do you want it, or not?" Gaara scowled.

"I want it," Kankuro said, and finally took the straw into his mouth. He popped it out a moment later and said, "I have Gaara germs now, wait until I tell Temari, she's going to be so jealous."

"Kankuro!"

* * *

><p>AN: Shoot me, shoot me now. I can't believe my fingers typed up that scene, much less believe my mind made it up. Yet, I can't stop laughing.

Then there's this scene, from Gaara's office:

Kankuro looked down at the puppet, "I don't know, something about it just speaks to me. Maybe I just secretly like manipulating people, and this is a form where I can do it without feeling guilty that I really am manipulating them."

"So why are you here?"

"Why wouldn't I be here? Oh, and I keep forgetting to tell you thanks for getting me that game for my birthday. It's almost better than the puppets cause I can create people, and then I can totally ruin their lives, well, everyones life except for my favorites. It's buckets of fun," Kankuro grinned. "I have a Gaara sim, a Temari sim, and a Kankuro sim, and we all live happily together." His eyes darkened, "But there's this blond guy sim, I don't know where he came from, I certainly didn't make him, and he keeps trying to take you away. I've dubbed him, The Evil Blond."

* * *

><p>AN: That's all of my crazy Kankuro OOC-ness. My suspension of disbelief couldn't take it, so I had to remove them. P.S. Yes, The Evil Blond is Naruto. XD If you're even wondering about Kankuro acting the way he is, let's just say that I'm basing him off my older brothers, a little, and they annoyed me to death. Plus, there's the fact that Gaara is not that violent in this story, so Kankuro enjoys annoying him. It's an older brother thing, I think.

Also, if you're wondering about Sai's last name, well, since he's in the real world (is it though?) he needs a last name, and I figured it'd probably be the most common name, and because his first name is Japanese, well then his last name should be, too, and Tanaka is one of the most common last names in Japan. I think there might be one or two that beat it, but I'm not for sure.

As always, thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it!


	7. Chapter 7: Naruto's Other Side

**Title**: Iris

**Author**: LadySable (LiveJournal)/StoryBard(here)

**Pairings**: GaaNaruGaa

**Rating**: T

**WARNINGS**: This will have heterosexuality and homosexuality. If either offend you, this is not the story for you.

**Disclaimer**: The characters are property of Masashi Kishimoto. Avatar: The Last Airbender belongs to Nickelodeon. I do not make money from this fan made work.

**Summary**: AU/AR Gaara adopts a pet unlike any other.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7: Naruto's Other Side<strong>

Gaara groaned as he woke to the sound of incessant beeping.

He floundered his hand, trying to hit the noise maker, but was hindered by an arm wrapped around his stomach, and a warm body cozied up to his. Gaara opened his eyes, and blinked in the early morning light, before turning to glare at the blond hindering him.

"Naruto," he hissed. "Let go of me!" Then he stopped, and jabbed the blond's shoulder with his finger, "Why is my alarm waking me up?"

"Nnn, naut time ta wakey sleepy beauty," he moaned.

The red head was about to kick him out of bed, when Naruto turned his head, and Gaara saw the right side of his face. He brushed the blond's face with his fingertips in concern, before turning to glower at the alarm clock that was getting louder every second.

Now that he was awake, he was able to reach over, and turn it off. Then he turned to the blond. He used just the tips of his fingers to lift the tan face from his side.

"Pet, what happened?" he asked, inspecting the black and purple bruise around the blond's eye.

"Wha-?" Naruto mumbled, blinking up at Gaara. Then his eyes flashed open. "Gaara! I-I'm so, so, so sorry!" he cried out, scrambling away from the red head. "I didn't mean to do it! If I did something naugh-Ah!" he cried out as he fell off the side of the bed.

The red head crawled over, checking to see if the blond had hurt himself even more.

"Argh!" Naruto cried out, scrubbing his nails through his hair, causing it to shoot out in different directions. "First the brat comes here to attack me, and now I made a fool of myself, jeez," he growled.

"It must be my lucky day; I didn't have to kick you out of bed," Gaara said, as he watched the blond from his position above him. Then he looked back to check the time, and cursed. He left the bed, tripping over bed sheets in his rush, and went to the bathroom to get ready for work.

"So," he began, after he spat out the toothpaste from his mouth into the sink. He was dressed, but his hair was still dripping water from the quick shower. He turned to look at the blond who was leaning against the door to the bathroom. "A friend from Konoha came over, and attacked you." The red head frowned, and then looked over at Naruto, "What kind of friend does that?"

"A good one," the blond said with a wide grin. Then his brow puckered, "I kind of left him outside because I meant to ask you if I could let him in, but then I fell asleep, 'cause I skipped the pouncing tactic, and went straight to the snuggling tactic." He blushed, and ran his hand through his blond spikes, then muttered, "Sorry about that."

Gaara waved it off, "You already apologized; once is enough. Does he look as bad as you?"

"I returned each blow he gave me!" Then Naruto paused, and his hands fumbled around each other, "But, I only hit him a little bit harder than he hit me, and I gave him one more pounding than he needed. He's three years younger than me, so I can't be too harsh, right?"

The red head frowned, and then said, "I suppose, but that doesn't mean you should let him hit you."

"Oh, I tried to dodge him, but he's really good!" Naruto's chest puffed up, "What can I say for my little protege!"

Gaara watched as the blond began to ramble on about the great achievements of his student, and he wondered if he had ever felt proud of Matsuri. He puzzled it over for a minute. He'd never said anything about how well written her work was. She was his student, but not once had he ever acted the way the blond was now.

"Do you tell him that you're proud of him?" Gaara interrupted him.

"Wha-? No way! Well, I guess you can say it every once in a while, but only when you're leaving or going away for a long time or something like that! Only when it's dangerous, too! You have to reassure your pupil that you can defeat anything in front of you! Even if you're scared shitless," Naruto said with a firm nod. "You also don't give away all of your secrets, so that they'll keep coming back to learn more."

Naruto paused, and looked at the red head, his curiosity showing in his eyes, "Are you asking this because you have your own protege?"

Gaara gave a slight nod, before toweling his hair one last time.

"Well, then don't do what I said! It's different between each pupil and master! Konohamaru and I are more like brothers, but I never let him know that. He's also my rival! He's trying to become the dojo's head, too, so I have to put him in his spot."

"Oh," the red head said. "I've never felt that proud of Matsuri, though."

Naruto shrugged, "What can I say? Give her some time, and she's bound to do something amazing! I mean, she is your pupil." The blond fidgeted, "Can I go and get Konohamaru?"

Gaara nodded, and followed the blond out of the bathroom, but then broke off, heading to the kitchen.

He heard the door open, and a petulant sounding boy said, "About time! I was beginning to wonder if you forgot me-" there was a loud smack, and then a cry, "Ow! Boss what was that for?"

He frowned, didn't Naruto say that his protege was only three years younger than he was? That would make him seventeen, but for some reason he sounded like a kid. He turned, and looked to see.

Inside of his doorway was a lanky teen with dark brunette hair, vivid blush marks on his cheeks. He was wearing a long scarf, and a happy grin as Naruto talked to him. It looked like an older brother giving advice to a younger brother, and if one happened to have blond hair, and the other dark hair, well, no matter.

Gaara went to his fridge, and rummaged through the freezer, and then said, "Here, Naruto."

Naruto looked over, and grabbed the tossed bags out of reflex. The blond peered down at them, and read aloud, "Peas and corn?" Then his eyes flashed, and he grinned, "Thanks, Gaara."

He pushed Konohamaru over to the couch and said, "Put this on your black eye." He gave the brunette the corn, taking the peas for himself. He placed the peas on his right eye, and leaned his head back so he didn't have to hold it in place. "Ah, this feels good. Who knew vegetables were good for you?"

"Of course they are," Konohamaru said, mimicking Naruto's position. "If they weren't, I wouldn't have been able to blacken your eye! Gramps told me to eat some spinach before I came here, and that I would beat you if I ate them!"

"You didn't beat me!"

"No, but I gave you a black eye! I've never given you a black eye before!"

"Th-That's because I gave it to you! I made a false opening, so that I could knock you flat!"

"Liar!"

"Brat!"

There was a bang, and the red head turned to see that his coffee table was knocked over, and the boys were wrestling on the floor. Naruto was on the offensive, but Konohamaru managed to roll him over and gave a triumphant grin, before the blond kicked him off. The frozen vegetables scattered over the floor.

"You're never going to make it as dojo head!" Naruto yelled, his eyes bright.

"Hah! All I'll have to do is beat your wimpy ass!" Konohamaru shouted.

They were about to run into the kitchen table, but, in a flash, Gaara was there, knocking both of them on the right side of their faces, grazing the blackening bruises. The two boys fell, howling.

"Gaara, what was that for!" Naruto hissed, glaring up at the red head.

"If you haven't noticed, you're destroying my house," his voice an icy wind.

The blond blinked, and looked around, before giving a sheepish smile to the red head, "S-Sorry."

"You're lucky I'm running late for work. This place had better be clean by the time I get back," the red head ordered before leaving the apartment. He shook his head as he heard battle cries starting up again as he closed the door.

* * *

><p>"Gaara," a low, smooth voice said.<p>

He looked up to see Sai entering his office. The dark haired man went straight to his desk, and sat on the edge of it. Gaara frowned, and looked up at the man. Sai ignored the look, and crossed his legs.

"Can I help you, Sai?"

"Sure," he said a sly look on his face. "I heard that you're living with someone. I was so surprised! Imagine! Our lone stranger Gaara, living with someone!"

Gaara closed his eyes in irritation before ignoring the black haired man, and marking something off on the article in front of him.

"I heard that the man has blond hair," Sai taunted. "I didn't even know you had a preference for blond hair. Are you having sex with him? Making him pay for rent with his body?"

"How did you hear about him?" he asked, ignoring the rest of Sai's questions in preference for his own.

"I heard it from a little birdie," Sai said, waving off the question. "You know, it's illegal to make someone pay for their body."

"What birdie?"

"Oh, you know," Sai said, waving the question away as if the red head did know. "Tell me, do you enjoy sleeping with the blond? You looked really cozy this morning."

He stood up, his chair hitting the wall from the force of it. Gaara glowered at Sai, and hissed, "I do not sleep with Naruto in any shape, way, or form. If you do not have any questions about your articles or on how to improve them, then get out." He pushed a folder of Sai's edited articles into the man with enough force that Sai had to get off the desk to stay upright.

"Right, right," Sai said, a quick, blank grin shaping on his face. "Tell Naruto that I said 'hi', we'll be sure to see more of each other in the future."

The red head was about to make an angry retort, but the dark haired man was slipping out of his office. He sighed, and slumped down into his stiff chair. Sai was becoming more and more of a nuisance with each passing day. He glared at his desk for a moment longer, and then reached for the next article. As he finished checking it, he pitied whoever wrote the article as it was covered in red.

He reached for the next one, and worked through the large stack. He was almost halfway through it when his phone rang. He frowned, and looked at the clock, 11.

"Hello?"

"Come to my office, now," the Veteran ordered over the phone.

"Yes, sir," Gaara said, sighing, a headache forming.

When he entered the Veteran's office, he relaxed, letting the cool green hues wash over him. He sat in a chair by the desk; it was as stiff as his own. The old man had yet to notice him, so he closed his eyes, relaxing until he did.

It was another minute until he heard his name. He opened his eyes, and looked up at the Veteran.

There was a moment of silence, and then the Veteran asked, "How long has it been since you've gotten a day off?"

Gaara startled, the pay wasn't good enough to take more than a few days off a month. "It's been over two months," he said.

The old man grunted, then said, "Well, I want you to take the rest of the day off, and you have tomorrow off." The Veteran ruffled through some papers, and said, "From now on, you have Mondays off."

"Wait a minute," the red head said scowling. "Why am I getting all this time off? If I'm not writing good enough, then tell me. I'll fix any problems I'm making."

"Hmm," the old man frowned. "Gaara, you're doing perfectly fine, but you're working too hard, and it's showing in your articles. You need a break. Breaks rejuvenate your mind, and you'll write better after taking a short break. Your mind will be refreshed, and you can look at your work from different angles." He looked at Gaara, and sighed. "I'm telling you this so that you will write better."

Gaara looked at him with incredulity.

The Veteran glared at him, "Get out of here! I don't want you around anymore!"

"What?"

"Scat! I don't want to see you until Friday! If I see you before then, I will fire you!"

"Sir," Gaara said, standing up, his hands out as if to calm a wild animal.

"Gaara, you have until three to get out of here, or I will fire you. One."

The red head glared at him.

"Two," the Veteran said, reaching into his drawer. The red head blinked as he saw a pink slip.

"You're not really-?" He watched as the old man started to write his name on the slip. He seethed, and left the office, just as the old man called out three.

"And I don't want to see you until Friday!" the old man yelled at him.

Gaara stood outside his door for a second, until he noticed the underlings looking at him, he gave them the evil eye, and they shrank away from him, going back to work. He heard laughter to his side, and looked over, an icy scowl on his face. "Kankuro," he seethed.

"I can't believe you got kicked out," the brunette laughed. He sobered, and said, "Although, that's the only way to get you out of this place." Kankuro came over to him, and placed a heavy hand on the red head's shoulder, "Enjoy your break, you deserve it."

Shrugging off the hand, he went to his office, gathering his work. "You should take the time to get a good lunch, too. None of this fast food, stuff, either," Kankuro said as he followed him into the office. The red head ignored him as he placed the articles he needed to work on into his bag. "Don't act like it's the end of the world, Gaara. It's not like you even got good days off. You're back in time to work on the Sunday edition, and that sucks."

Gaara grabbed his bag, and moved around the brunette, leaving the office. He waited for his brother to get out, before locking the door.

"You're just upset that you got kicked out," Kankuro snickered. "Don't turn that evil eye on me, you've already given it to me today. I'm outta here," he said. He turned and left, but before he was too far, he called over, and gave one last jab, "Enjoy your day off!"

The red head paused, then left the building, seething.

He walked past a few stores and restaurants, before spying a diner and entering it. It was better than going home to Naruto just yet. He didn't want to explain to the blond why he was home early. He was forced out of his work place, but that didn't stop him from hating the idea.

The diner was a place of raucous geniality. It was the perfect place for the blond, the red head noted. He could see him wandering between booths, talking to people; it wasn't the place for Gaara, though. He considered leaving, but the server spotted him at that moment, and pushed him towards a table. She managed to wheedle out his order, even though the red head was considering leaving.

He tapped his fingers on the table to the pounding rhythm going on in his head, much to the annoyance of his neighbor, who sent constant death glares towards Gaara, who returned them with more annoyance and irritation in his glares. His opponent cringed and turned away to the red head's disappointment. It was effortless intimidating them.

Soon, the ease of his victory was far from his mind as the lunch crowd came through, filling the small diner with loud voices and unrestrained noise; freedom from the silence of work. The pounding in his head was changing from a headache to a migraine.

"Here ya go," the server said with a wild grin. "Don' mind the work crowd, they don' bite."

Gaara looked at the woman whose smile disappeared as she fidgeted under his stare. "Can I do somethin' for ya?" she demanded.

"I'd like a to-go box," he stated.

"Why din' ya say it was to-go," she demanded, before storming off to get the to-go box.

Gaara sighed, and rubbed his forehead, closed his eyes.

"Here," the server said, shoving a box onto his table, the receipt fluttered to the ground. She let out a deep sigh before picking it up and placing it onto Gaara's table. He glanced at the amount, then placed the last of his cash onto the table, and said, "Don't bother about the change." She glared at him, and grabbed the bills before leaving his table.

He tossed what was on his plate into the to-go box without bothering to keep the food separated, and left the boisterous diner.

Outside, the stifling silence was welcomed. He kept his eyes downcast, away from the burning sun, as the pounding in his head hurried him to his cool apartment. When he reached it, he was surprised that the door was lock. He fumbled with his briefcase, fishing out the key he had used once or twice since Naruto had come to live with him.

Gaara glanced at the door with dislike as he unlocked it. It wasn't as if he demanded the pet to stay at his house twenty-four seven, but he detested that his door was locked. It used to be different; if his door was unlocked, it meant intruder. Now, it meant Naruto.

He frowned as he opened the door; the TV was loud, and there was pop music blaring from it. Gaara winced, and then glared at his brunette guest. He'd forgotten that he was even here. The red head spotted the remote on the side table, and muted it, glowering at the brunette who yelped in indignation at the sound turning off.

The brunette was about to make a snarky comment, but blinked when he turned and saw the red head, not the blond Gaara suspected the brunette thought had muted the TV. The brat was more comfortable in his own home than he was.

"Oh, hey," Konohamaru sulked.

Gaara frowned, and rubbed his temples before handing the remote over, "Just keep it down. I'm going to be working." He put the to-go box into the refrigerator, then headed towards his room, but paused before leaving, "Where is Naruto?"

"Boss?" the brunette asked sounding as if he was chewing on something. "Oh he had to run some errands, but he'll be back by, um, two? Yeah, I'm sure he said two." Gaara watched as the brunette's head dipped down, then it was brought back up. He saw the back of Konohamaru's head, but from the way he stiffened, something must have gone wrong. He was startled when the brunette cried out an expletive, and then got up and ran around the couch, past him, and into the bathroom, slamming it shut.

Gaara winced, the sound ringing in his ears. Pausing for a moment, he waited for the migraine to cool back down to its constant throbbing before heading to his room, ignoring the strange sounds coming from the bathroom.

He sat down on his desk, and tried to get to work. The article in front of him was a blur, though, punctuated only by the pounding in his head.

"I'm home!" Naruto's yell pierced through the fog in his mind.

He had never heard Naruto enter his house before, and it was odd that the blond had called it 'home'. He looked back down at his article, and picked up his pen, ready to write some more, but Naruto's laughter burst through his walls.

"You call that a disguise, Konohamaru?"

"Shut up! I-It's not like yours is any better! I-I could totally see through it!"

"Yeah? Then how come I got hit on by five guys before even making it back here?"

"'Cause they're all transvestites who can see through your wrapping paper thin disguise!"

"'Wrapping paper thin'?"

"Yeah, 'cause it's so flimsy of a disguise that it can't even hold to a paper thin one, so it's at wrapping paper level."

Gaara heard Naruto snort, "If you have to explain your insult, then it's not very good."

The red head sighed, and stood up. If they were going to continue to make such a ruckus, there was no way he'd get work done. He slipped out of his room, but paused before he entered into the living room, staring at a person he assumed was Naruto as it had his voice, but that was about the only similarity other than the blue eyes and blond hair.

Naruto was wearing an orange tank top with tiny black flowers, lace decking the top of it. He must have been wearing breast pads because there were two small, but noticeable bumps on his chest, a chest that had been pressed against Gaara enough times that he knew the blond didn't have female breasts, and yet they looked natural on him. The black skirt was to his knees, and had an undertone of a gray pattern. He couldn't tell if Naruto had shaved his legs because the couch hid them from his view.

Gaara didn't know what the blond did, but his face looked softer, rounder, more feminine. The black eye was invisible, and he couldn't even see the prominent whiskers that were a part of who Naruto was. His blue eyes, in contrast, were so much brighter, taking in all of the light. His blond hair was still the pointy mess it usually was, but he added hair extensions, pulling them back into a ponytail, and somehow making it look like his natural hair was longer than it was.

He looked like a young college girl.

The red head turned to the teen, and noticed, while not in a similar ensemble, that the brunette was dressed in the same way. The brunette was frowning, and Gaara noted that while Naruto looked like he was a woman, Konohamaru still had the masculine roughness that distinguished him from a woman. He also saw his black eye. They could be sisters, though, as feminine as they looked.

"I still don't understand this whole make-up thing," Konohamaru sulked.

"You have to wear make-up, though," Naruto said, his hands were fisted into his hips, and his face bore a similar expression to a mother scolding her daughter. "If you don't, then your disguise will be busted, and no one will think you're a woman."

The blond sighed, then reached into the small purse hanging off his arm, and rummaged through it. After a few minutes, he found what he was looking for. He bent over, face level to the brunette, and peered at Konohamaru's face. Then opened the thing he found, his bracelets clinking together with the motion. "Now, when you use powder foundation, you have to work it away from your nose," Naruto said with a gentle voice, as his hand moved to do what he was saying. "Pretend your face is a canvas, and make-up is your paint. The different paints you use aren't truly different, they are part of one whole. It's the same with make-up. You blend different things together to make a complete painting, rather than keeping it all separated." The blond leaned back, and looked at Konohamaru's face, then nodded. "That's better."

He closed the round disk with a snap, and tossed it into the purse before placing the purse on the side table.

He turned back to Konohamaru with a wide smile, "Gaara shouldn't be home for another couple of hours, we should go and see how good our disguises are!"

Konohamaru blinked, and, turning his head towards the red head's room, he said, "Um, Boss, Gaara's-"

The brunette froze when he noticed the red head leaning against the wall, watching them.

"Hmm," Naruto hummed as he fiddled with the long plastic necklaces around his neck, before looking up at Konohamaru in curiosity, then turned to follow his line of vision. He stared at the red head in open mouth shock, before stammering, "G-G-Gaara! Th-This isn't what it looks like!" The blond took a step back, and looked around, before crying out, "I'm not a pervert!"

Gaara's eye twitched as the loud cry sent throbbing pain through his head. "Do what you will," he said, before turning, his hand coming up to his forehead, as if that would make the pain go away.

"Gaara?" the blond said, concern filling his voice. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," he gritted out. "Ju-Just be quiet. I have work to do."

He took a step to his room, but, in an instant, Naruto was in front of him, frowning. It was reminiscent to the look he gave Konohamaru.

The blond took his wrist, moving his hand away from his forehead, bangles clinking around tan arms. "Do you have another headache?" he asked frowning in concern.

Gaara glared at him, but a sudden, intense slash of pain forced him to close his eyes.

In a similar swiftness, there was a press of something soft, and gentle on his forehead, a small indentation of warmth. A heat pervaded the front of his body that wasn't his own. He tensed at the touch, then relaxed. Blinking his eyes open, he saw a tan neck in front of him, and then there was a movement, a puff of warm breath against his forehead, before Naruto stepped back, grinning, and said, "I kissed it better."

The red head stared at him, mind blank as his hand wandered up to his forehead, the constant pounding gone.

"W-What was that?" he breathed out, a slight heat tingeing his face.

Naruto smiled, quirking his head to the right, Gaara blinked as he noticed that the blond was even wearing earrings, gold hooped ones, "A get better kiss. When something hurts, you kiss it better, and the pain goes away."

"A kiss can't make pain go away," the red head muttered.

"Sure it can," the blond said with a smile. Then he frowned, and said, "Oops, I think some of my lipstick got on your forehead." He glanced around, patting his clothes, and then sighed. Gaara watched him as he went to the kitchen, but was distracted by the fact that Naruto did shave his legs, and he was wearing bright orange stiletto heels. He watched the heels as the blond moved through the kitchen, not once tripping or stumbling.

"How long has he been doing this?"

"Since he was twelve," came the unexpected answer from the brunette.

"He looks completely natural," Gaara muttered.

"I know, right? I swear he's in touch with his feminine side."

"What about you?"

"Me? Oh, I do this 'cause it's fun. And it bugs the crap out of my old man," Konohamaru shared a grin with the returning Naruto, who glided across the ground as if it was air.

The blond turned to Gaara, and took a soft, damp cloth, and wiped away the lipstick stain off of the right side of his forehead. Then he placed the cloth to the side, and thrust a hand towards the red head, showing him two white pills.

The red head frowned in distaste, "I don't need to take any pills. I'm fine now."

Naruto glared at him, "I don't care. I don't want to see you in pain, and what if it comes back?"

"I don't like pills," Gaara said with an answering glower.

"Shut up, and just take the stupid pills," Konohamaru said. "I didn't come over to listen to a couple's bickering."

Naruto flushed, and Gaara scowled at the brunette before swiping the pills out of the tan hands and popping them into his mouth, and swallowing. Not making a sound, the blond passed over the cup of water he had brought with him, and the red head took it, washing out the distasteful powder the pills had left in his mouth.

The blond smiled as the red head handed over the empty cup. "That wasn't so bad, now was it?" Then he pushed the red head towards his bedroom, "Now, I want you to go take a nap. The only way I get headaches is if I don't get enough sleep, or if I don't get enough caffeine. I think you need a combination of the two." He opened Gaara's door, and motioned him into it. The red head glared at him, which had no effect on the blond's smile.

"If you take at least a twenty minute nap, or even rest for twenty minutes, I'll have tea made for you when you get out," Naruto bribed him. Then he added, "If you don't, I'll get Temari to show that picture at work."

"When did you two team up?" the red head asked, irritated.

"Oh, we've just been fawning over Avatar, and, you know, in between talking about Avatar and you, I manage to get some details and whatnot," the blond grinned, reminding Gaara of that cat in the animated Alice in Wonderland that his sister and brother had adored when Temari was eight.

"You talk about me?"

Naruto winced at his tone, "Just a little. Nothing much, I don't tell her anything personal, like, you know, whether you wear boxers or briefs, or anything like that." Gaara frowned, but moved to his bed and laid down. "Don't worry about it, just rest for now."

He didn't say anything as Naruto closed his door. He was determined to prove the blond wrong, but after a few minutes, his eyes betrayed him and he sunk into darkness.

* * *

><p>When he opened his eyes, the room was dark. He panicked for a second, and then calmed himself. He sat up in bed, and looked through the window behind it, noting that it was still daylight, his room was just in shadows. He glanced over at the clock, and saw that it was four. He'd have been content to just stay in his bed; avoid the blond face that was be sure to grin when he came out, a knowing grin that said he was right. However, he smelled tea, and there was a call to the toilet.<p>

He went about his task with quiet steps, but when he came out of the bathroom, cluttered with make-up, Naruto heard him, and turned his head to grin at him from the couch. It was the grin Gaara had known that the blond was going to show, but he ignored it, and headed straight to his tea.

"Boss! Look, they're doing a rerun of our martial arts movie!" Konohamaru bounce in his seat. Then he paused. "Oh, that reminds me, there's a practice spar next month. Tsunade told me to tell you, 'cause you're down here."

"Awesome!" Naruto exclaimed, "I can show off my new technique, and pound Sasuke once and for all!"

"Um, Boss, about Sasuke," Konohamaru hedged.

"What about him?"

"H-He's creating his own distinct style now, and he's going to be really tough to beat."

Naruto snorted, "Is that all? 'Cause I'm doing the same thing, and I'm practicing hard every single day. There's nothing for me to do here, but train!"

Gaara grabbed his cup of tea, and moved to sit at the table, looking out the sliding door, listening to the flows in Naruto's conversation.

"You're creating a new style?" Konohamaru's eyes were bright. "Are you going to teach me? You have to teach me, Boss!"

Naruto smiled, "Of course I'm going to teach you." He rubbed his knuckles in the teen's hair, "There's no way my pupil is ever going to beat me if he doesn't learn everything I have to teach, and I still have tons of things to teach you!"

"Yeah?" Konohamaru asked, "Like what?"

"Like how to sit properly in a skirt, and to remember you're wearing a ski-"

"Boss! I didn't mean that!"

"Oh, you meant martial arts stuff? You'll just have to wait and see then," Naruto said with a wink.

"Boss!" Konohamaru whined.

"Oh! That reminds me, I have something I'd like your help with, Konohamaru." The blond stood up, and headed to his room.

"Really? A secret technique? An attack formation?"

"No, no," Naruto laughed from within his room. "Just a second!"

A moment later, he popped out of his room, and dropped a stack of papers onto the table, almost hitting Gaara's cup. "Sorry," the blond said grinning when the red head glared at him. "Get over here, Konohamaru."

"What is it?" the brunette asked when he reached the table, pointing at the papers.

Gaara looked at them and noticed that while they were still wearing make-up, they had changed to pants and T-shirts, and they had taken out the hair extensions.

"It's a scholarship I'm working on," Naruto said, his eyes bright. "See, I'm going to use my inheritance and put a large portion of it into this scholarship. It'll be called the Namikaze-Uzumaki Martial Arts Scholarship for children and preteens. It's not just for kids who want to be martial artists, although, they still have to practice and get a sponsor, and do the stuff we had to do, but it's also to make opportunities for kids who wouldn't even be able to graduate from high school." There was a tone in his voice that Gaara didn't recognize. It was a breathless emotion, something caught in a moment when someone was talking about something they were passionate about; happiness that didn't stem from things received, but from things given.

The red head looked up, and saw Naruto's face holding the same passion found in his voice, a sort of light flowing from beneath the depths of his eyes, but shone throughout his whole face.

"You're really into this, huh, Boss," Konohamaru breathed.

Gaara watched as most of the light faded, but it was still there, still burning, and Naruto turned and said, "Yeah, I guess I really am." Then he clapped his hands, "Okay! So what I really need your help with is that I can't seem to balance the martial arts requirements."

"How so?" Konohamaru asked.

"Well, I want to make it so that kids who've never had any experience can join, but I also want to make it so that kids with experience can join. The problem is the kids without experience. We can't just hand a scholarship out willy-nilly, that'd be charity. Not that charity's a bad thing, but this is a scholarship, and, to be more definite, it's a sports scholarship."

"Right."

"The problem is, is that martial arts is not cheap, even in a normal dojo, and our dojo is the most expensive of them all. How can a kid who's dirt poor get into a martial arts school so that he'll have the experience and conviction that he's going to be a martial artist, or at least willing to work hard enough to get through school?"

"So, what you're asking is how can you make it so kids who can't take a martial arts class, because they don't have the money, receive this scholarship?"

"Right," Naruto nodded. "It doesn't make any sense, 'cause you can't just give them the scholarship, it lasts for a year, and is renewed if the student takes to martial arts. We can't just accept a bunch of kids, and then find out a month later that they have no interest at all in martial arts, or even school; that's a waste of money."

"Boss, why are you asking me this?" he whined.

"'Cause you're smarter than you look. Besides, you're also a martial artist in school, so you should at least have an idea!"

"Well, um, maybe you should make sure that there is a need for money first? 'Cause if they have the money, but the kid's not in a martial arts school, then you should know that they aren't going to be interested that much in martial arts. If you put up fliers or something, don't say anything about making special circumstances for the kids in need, 'cause the parents might scam you instead."

"Good, good," Naruto said, writing down what Konohamaru said. "But it's still not what I need! What are those special circumstances?"

"Um-"

"A probationary period," Gaara said, eyes locked onto the sliding door, even as they gazed on him.

"What?" the blond asked. "Could you tell us more?"

Gaara sighed, and turned to them, "A probationary period. When a student in need really wants your scholarship, but tells you that there is no way he or she would be able to afford getting into a class for martial arts, then you give them a month or two of lessons for free. If they turn out to be good, or interested enough that they practice extra hours, or something like that, give them a scholarship for a year. If not, then tell them that they weren't quite what you were looking for, and explain that they should try to find another scholarship."

The red head watched as the blond scribbled on the paper below him. "That's perfect!" he cried out when he caught everything. "So not only do the kids with money get a chance, but so will the kids who don't!"

"Yeah, Boss, but you need to put something on the flier to explain to the poor kids that there'll be exceptions, so that they'll be interested, and not think it's another way for the wealthy to prosper."

"Right," the blond said nodding. "I'll work on that later, but right now I need to figure out the rest of this. I was just blocked because of that one little problem."

Naruto scribbled something else down, then frowned, and looked up. "Hey, Konohamaru, are you staying for dinner?"

"Nah, Gramps'll pick me up," the brunette said, as he sat on the couch.

"Oh," Naruto said, looking around. Then he said, "Hey, Gaara, what's for dinner?"

The red head looked over at Naruto, and then down into the tea, "Whatever you want, I'm not making it."

He frowned, "Why not?"

Gaara opened his mouth to explain, but was interrupted by a knock. Naruto grinned, and hollered, "I'll get it!"

"I'm going back to my room," the red head said, loud enough for Naruto to hear.

"Wha-? Wait, Gaara!" Naruto frowned as the knocking continued, and sighed.

The red head was to his door when he heard the blond open the door and said, "You're here to pick up Konohamaru, right?"

"Of course," a grating tone said.

"Hah! Closet perv! I bet you thought I was a woman!"

"Of course not, Naruto. I was merely shocked by the fact that you're wearing make-up."

"Give it up, Gramps! You thought he was a woman!"

Gaara shook his head, and entered his bedroom, closing the door.

* * *

><p>AN: My own personal title is: Making Things Utterly Horrible for Gaara, so Naruto Can Ease His Irritation. XD

I really like Konohamaru. I feel that Naruto and Konohamaru are brothers in a different way than Naruto and Sasuke. Naruto and Sasuke are kind of like brothers in combat, whereas I get this really familial feeling from Naruto and Konohamaru. I also like Konohamaru and find him adorable, if I ever had a little brother, and he was like Konohamaru, I would spoil him rotten. XD Or maybe not.

About the cross-dressing... yeah, I can see Naruto doing this. I can't see him not doing it if he had a chance, and I can see him getting Konohamaru into the mix!

Oh, and about Sai. You're going to say he's being OOC, but he's doing it on purpose. Sai will return to his original characterization in the next chapters.

P.S. This has to be one of my favorite chapters. I enjoy writing all of the chapters, but I really enjoyed writing this chapter, and the last chapter, and the next chapter, too (I think I'm sensing a pattern).

P.P.S. If you're curious, Naruto uses Maybelline make-up (I don't own that, either!).


	8. Chapter 8: A Day Off

**Title**: Iris

**Author**: LadySable (LiveJournal)/StoryBard(here)

**Pairings**: GaaNaruGaa

**Rating**: T

**WARNINGS**: This will have heterosexuality and homosexuality. If either offend you, this is not the story for you.

**Disclaimer**: The characters are property of Masashi Kishimoto. I do not make money from this fan made work. I do not own the Chalkboard font, either. I don't know who does, but I do not own it. The Sleepy Frog, Bridget, Connus, and the amber beetle are mine, I made them up.

**Summary**: AU/AR Gaara adopts a pet unlike any other.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8: A Day Off<strong>

His door was being banged on for the fifteenth time in the last half hour.

"Come on Gaara!" Naruto pleaded through the door, a whine in his voice. "Let's go and do something fun together! You never get a day off!"

Clenching his pencil, he went back to work, and Naruto started banging on his door again.

"Gaara, your boss told you to take a day off, not to work at home!" the blond yelled. "It's eleven! You've been working for four hours!"

On the otherside of the door, Gaara seethed, and then stood up, knocking his chair back. He reached over to open the door, just as Naruto was about to knock on it again.

"Oh my God! Gaara! I'm sorry!" Naruto hovered around Gaara's sprawled form on the ground. The red head held his hand to his cheek, and glared up at the blond. "Just a second! I'll be right back!"

Gaara winced as he pushed a little too hard on his cheek, then the blond was there holding frozen vegetables, and a dry cloth. "Here," he said, removing his hand from his cheek, and placing the cloth over the injured cheek, and the frozen vegetables on top of it.

Gaara sighed as the coolness took some of the pain away, then he glowered at the blond. "Were you practicing your karate on my door?" he hissed. "How much power were you putting into your knocks?"

Naruto gave a sheepish smile, and scratched the back of his neck, "I thought that maybe you had fell asleep, so I was trying to get your attention, and I don't do just karate, for your information."

"How could anyone fall asleep with that racket going on?"

"I could! When I was nine, Tsunade took me on a road trip with Sasuke and Sakura, and they told me that I fell asleep on a whole pile of our toys, I was that tired!"

"Where were you going?" Gaara asked, removing the vegetables, and then prodded his tender skin with his index finger.

Naruto chuckled, "We're going to have matching bruises today." Gaara looked up at the yellow and purple tinged ring around the blond's cerulean eyes, and winced, a pang of guilt going through him as he remembered hitting the bruise. "We were just going on a trip to see all the grand attractions the U.S. has, you know, the Hudson Dam, Gateway Arch, Empire State Building, things like that. It took all summer, but it was fun." The blue eyes dimmed, and Gaara fumbled, trying to think of some way to brighten them back up.

"A-Alright, I'll go out with you," he mumbled.

Naruto blushed a bright red, and said, "O-Okay, I-I'll be right back."

The blond stood up, and raced out the door, holding his hand over his face. The red head gazed after the blond, and then stood, using his bed to help him up. He went over to his desk, and straightened his papers so that he could come back and get straight to work.

He was finished by the time Naruto came back, dressed in a nicer orange t-shirt than what he was wearing before. His eyes were brighter than Gaara had ever seen them, except when he was talking about the scholarship.

The red head looked down at his own clothes, wondering if he should change, but Naruto grabbed his wrist and dragged him out of his apartment.

"N-Naruto! I can walk by myself. You don't need to drag me," Gaara shouted at him.

They were in the middle of the street, and people were staring at them. The blond paused and looked down at their hands, and then dropped his wrist, fast, like it was a hot iron brand. "S-Sorry," the blond muttered.

Gaara rubbed his wrist, and watched his blond for a second, and said, "I'm only giving you an hour, so you better hurry."

The blond turned and looked at him in utter indignation, "What? No way! I get four hours!"

He glowered at the blond, "Two."

"Three and a half!" Naruto exclaimed. Gaara paused, and gave the blond a menacing glare. Blue eyes looked around, and the blond shifted on his feet, an uncertain look on his face. Naruto changed it and said, "Um, t-three?"

"Fine," the red head said.

Naruto gave him a bright grin, and cried out, "Follow me!"

The red head was beginning to feel like Alice following the white rabbit, when the blond finally stopped at their destination. Gaara gazed up at the sign that said 'The Suna Public Park'.

"You're taking me to a park?" he asked in disbelief.

Naruto grinned back at him, "Sure am!" Then he walked over to a track of dark asphalt, and said, "Come on! We're going for a walk!"

He balked, but when he noticed an elderly couple, and two teenaged girls laughing at him, he went over to the blond. "Why are we going on a walk?" he hissed into Naruto's ear, glaring back at the old couple who was still laughing at him.

"'Cause walks are fun! Besides, you need some outside time, you're never outside enough, and that's not healthy," Naruto lectured the red head.

"I walk to work, Naruto," he pointed out.

"That's different, though," the blond insisted. "You have a destination and a time you need to be there. Now, you don't. We can dilly-dally all we want, take deep breaths of air, watch the sunlight through tree leaves," Naruto smiled, "stare into the sky and wonder if you'll be able to see through it, straight into space-so far that hasn't happened for me, but one day it might!-or just close your eyes, and see if you can taste the air." Naruto turned to look at Gaara, and asked, "Do you ever do that when you're walking to work?"

"No."

"See! It is different! Now come on, relax and look around you!" Naruto gave a vivid smile, and marched ahead of him, watching the sky.

Gaara gazed after him, and then closed his eyes, and took a deep breath, warm air flowing around him. He opened his eyes, and started after the blond, admiring the cacti the Suna Park had in place of trees.

He never reached the blond on the track, but Naruto waited for him at the end of the trail. Gaara walked over to him, feeling more relaxed than he had ever felt, only for it to go away when Naruto ogled at him. "What?" he asked frowning.

"Y-You were smiling! I mean, it wasn't much, but there was an obvious lift around the corners of your lips!" Naruto exclaimed. He grabbed Gaara's hands, and headed towards the track, "We're going around it again!"

"Didn't you have other plans?" Gaara asked, trying to wiggle his hand out of Naruto's iron grip.

"Yeah, but Shino can wait! Your smile is more important!"

Gaara, came to a dead stop that was rooted so deep into the ground that Naruto couldn't get the red head to move forward.

"Gaara?" Naruto asked, peering back at the other man.

"Do you really mean that?"

"Mean what? Come on Gaara! Let's go!" Naruto tugged the red head's hand, trying to pull him forward.

Gaara shook his head, "Why are we seeing Shino?"

The blond stopped tugging his arms and said, "Um, I'm supposed to eat lunch with him today, and I thought that you would like a break from cooking."

"Oh," he paused, and then said, "It wouldn't be polite to leave him waiting. He has other things to do than wait on you."

"I suppose," was Naruto's petulant answer. He sighed, and then said, "Fine, we have to do this again, though!"

Then Gaara was being pulled out of the park, and through the streets. He kept trying to remove his hand from the blond's, but either he was deaf, or he just didn't care.

"Naruto!" he yelled after being pulled along for five minutes, giving up on any other actions.

"What, Gaara?"

"I can walk myself," Gaara hissed.

"Huh?" The blond said, cocking his head. Gaara wiggled his wrist, and Naruto looked down, releasing his hand in shock. He blushed, and said, "I-I'm sorry, I didn't realize."

The red head glowered at him, while rolling his wrist, trying to get the feeling back into his hand.

"Um, um, we-we're at the restaurant, though," Naruto said, a pleased smile overcoming his contriteness.

Gaara looked up at the building. It was a plain building, and not very tall. It had a single glass door, and a large window that took up the rest of the wall space. Above the door and window, in Chalkboard font, was written 'The Sleepy Frog' with a caricature of a sleeping frog next to the writing. The restaurant looked like it was being squished between the two law firms on either side of it. Through the window, he could see that even the inside was small and confined.

He frowned over at the blond.

"Don't give me that look," Naruto admonished. "Come on, if we don't hurry the lunch rush will get here, and then we'll have to wait in line!"

Naruto pushed through the door, and walked up to the hostess. "I'm meeting Shino," he said, giving the hostess a brilliant smile. The hostess scowled at the blond, her dark eye, though, brightened.

"Hello, Naruto," she said, her voice quiet, but held a tone of disapproval. "Shino's at the usual table." Then she turned to look at Gaara, and asked, "Is the red head with you?"

"Yup!" Naruto's grin was bright.

"Alright," the woman said, picking up two menus, and motioned for them to follow her.

As they passed the kitchen area, Naruto said, "Hi, Connus!" The chef looked up, and grinned at Naruto before going back to cutting the red peppers on the board.

They entered the dining area and spotted Shino sitting at a table, scribbling on a napkin.

"Hey, Shino," Naruto said, sitting down next to the brown haired man. Gaara sat next to Naruto. The blond peered over at the napkin, and asked, "What's that?"

"It's a type of beetle," Shino said, folding the napkin multiple times until it was a square no bigger than a quarter, and put it into his pocket. "I was afraid you had forgotten me, so I spent my time wisely."

"I never forget anything!" Naruto exclaimed.

"You forgot our first lunch engagement."

"I-I already apologized for that; stop making me feel guilty!"

"You already forgot to introduce me to your friend, if I may be so presumptuous in that assumption," Shino noted.

Naruto blinked, "Oh, right, Gaara, this is Shino, your neighbor. Shino, this is Gaara. Wait a minute," the blond turned to glare at Shino. "He's your neighbor! You should already know him!"

"Know, yes. Introduced, no," Shino said.

"Can I take your drink orders," the hostess interrupted, her voice curt.

Naruto blinked up at her, "Sorry, Bridget. I want water."

Bridget turned to the other two, and they nodded, agreeing with Naruto.

"Was that so hard? Jeez," she said, leaving their table muttering dark curses towards them.

Gaara turned and gave Naruto a hard look. It took a moment for the blond to even realize he was being glared at.

"What?" the blond asked, raising his arms to defend himself. Then he lowered them, and said, "Oh, Bridget? Don't worry about her, she just acts gruff on the outside, she's a real sweet heart on the inside!" Then he spluttered as water was poured down on him.

"Who's a 'real sweet heart on the inside'?" Bridget hissed at him, holding an empty glass over his head, and carrying two other glasses filled with water on a tray in her other hand.

"N-Not you," Naruto choked, as water rolled down his face, an ice cube stuck in his hair.

"Here you go," Bridget said, handing Shino and Gaara their drinks, and then leaving the table.

"Won't she get fired for that?" Gaara asked.

"N-No," Naruto chattered, and then he shrieked, his hands reaching towards his back in a frenzy. He stood up, and started to tug on his shirt. Then he sighed, and sat back down, burying his head into his hands, ears turning red.

"Naruto?" Gaara said, concerned.

"Don't worry about him, he just got an ice cube stuck down his shirt," Shino stated, taking a sip of his water.

Naruto moved his hands away from his face, and said, "Bridget is married to the cook. She's not nice," he added, glancing over his shoulder making sure that she wasn't there, "But I like her. She's had it tough, you know. Her parents were well-known gang members." Naruto lowered his voice, "You saw those two scars criss-crossing over her eye? Well, she was ganged up on when she was twelve, and lost her eye that night. It's only because of Connus, the owner and cook of this store, that she didn't lose the other."

"You better not be talking about me," Bridget said, coming over to their table, a white cloth in her hands. "Here," she thrust the cloth into Naruto, who took it, and beamed.

"I get a free Sleeping Frog T-shirt?" He said, standing up. He smiled, "Bridget, you're the best!" Then he was gone before Bridget could do anything to him.

The pencil in Bridget's hand snapped, and she gave them a brilliant fake smile, and said, "I've seemed to have lost my pencil, I'll be back to take your order."

"Why does Naruto have a penchant for the strangest people?" Gaara muttered.

"Because he's a strange person as well," Shino said, his face unchanging throughout the whole display. "He can easily empathize with even the darkest person."

The conversation dropped, and a comfortable silence filled it, as neither man felt the need to talk.

Then Naruto came back wearing a white shirt that had 'The Sleeping Frog' written in the upper left corner of the shirt, his original shirt in a plastic bag in his hand. He beamed at the two of them as he sat down, and then said, "Gaara likes cacti, Shino. Do you know of any bugs that could help him?"

Shino was quiet for a moment, then said, "There are some pests that you should avoid, or purge, but if you're already growing them, then I assume that you know about these pests?"

Gaara nodded.

"There is a moth that'll help a certain cacti bloom, but it's not a typical house cacti," Shino said. "Other than that, I don't know of many other insects in the desert spectrum. I focus more on the insects that have been found in rain forests, and insects that affect or hinder humans. There are too many insects that, even with focusing on two areas, I still don't know all of them."

"What can I get for you?" Bridget asked, startling all of them.

Naruto raised a hand to his heart, and said, "Bridget, you need to stop doing that, I'm only twenty, I'm too young to have a heart attack."

"And you're supposed to be the almighty karate master," Bridget said, clucking her tongue. "If you can't even hear me coming, then I guess we'll just have to demote you to wanna-be master."

Naruto laughed. "Just wait," the blond said, pointing a finger at Bridget, "I'll show everyone that I'm the best!"

"You do that," she said rolling her eyes. "Now what do you want to eat? I'm guessing the usual for Shino?"

He nodded, and Naruto said, "I want your turkey sandwich special with fries!"

"Same," Gaara said.

Bridget turned away, and left.

Gaara frowned, and then turned to Shino, "Why are you in Suna, if you're studying insects?"

"College," Shino said. "I actually went to the Konoha High School, but I was a few years ahead of Naruto, so he didn't meet me, or he forgot me."

Naruto growled, "I never met you! I don't ever forget a face!"

"So how are you going to study rain forest insects, if you're living in a desert?" Gaara asked, ignoring Naruto's outburst.

"I'm going with a research group in a couple of weeks to head out to the Amazon Rain Forest," Shino said. "I'll be living there for about a year to study insects."

"That sounds interes-"

"What kind of research group?" Gaara asked, bringing out a slim notebook that he carried with him in his back pocket when he wasn't working. He set it on the table, and pilfered Shino's pen that was on the table.

"It's called The Amber Entomology Group, AEG. It's named after the president of the first entomology group who found a rare beetle that we will be studying when we go to the rain forest."

"What beetle?" Gaara asked, still writing down what Shino said.

"It's called the Amber Beetle, we're still working on the Latin name for it, we may figure it out once we study its habits."

Gaara frowned, "How long has this group been together?"

"Only ten years, it's not very old," Shino said. "I feel like I'm being interrogated, especially with you writing down my answers."

"Gaara's a reporter," Naruto explained, smiling now that he had gotten a word in.

"Ah, none of this is anything new, you could easily look it up on the computer," Shino said.

"Yes, but it's not the same as a person telling you. A computer is a cold source," Gaara said, finishing his last sentence. "What are your expectations for this trip?"

"Expectations? Our expectations are to get a good bio on the Amber Beetle. It's very hard to find in the rain forest, and many groups have gone out searching for it, only to come back empty handed. If we cannot find it, then we will study, and bring back, other specimen, expanding what we know of them."

"Why are you interested in the Amber Beetle?"

"There's not a lot known about the beetle, for one. Yet, there's some mystery and rumor already spreading around about it."

"'Mystery and rumor'?"

Shino made a helpless gesture, "I can't say. Some of it is truthful, but some of it's false, and we don't want people going after the poor things."

"Here's your lunch," Bridget said, moving their lunches in front of them fast enough that Naruto burnt his fingers on his plate. "Be careful, the plates are still hot."

"Could you tell us that before you set them down?" Naruto said, blowing on his fingers. "And how are they hot when we don't have hot food?"

"Ah, well, I thought you'd love having freshly cleaned dishes," Bridget said, a cold, friendless smile on her face.

"So mean," the blond pouted as she left. Then he reached over to grab the ketchup, and turned it, making sure the sauce coated every last fry, before handing it over to Gaara.

He took it, but then set it off to the side. He ate some of the turkey sandwich, and was surprised by how good it was.

They ate in silence, taking the time to enjoy the food. Shino was the first to finish, and said, "If you'll excuse me, I still have some work to finish before I can go on my trip."

"Ah, Shino, wait!" Naruto said, he reached to stop the dark haired man, but stopped before his ketchup coated hands reached him.

"Yes?"

"Do you know who's moving into your apartment?"

"No, no one has offered."

"Aww," Naruto pouted. "I wanted to meet someone new."

"Anything else?"

"Actually, yes," Gaara said, lifting the notebook, he handed the pen to Shino. "Could you sign this? It's just to confirm that everything you've said is what you said, and that I'm not putting words into your mouth. It's to stop liability charges."

Shino gave a slight nod, and scanned the paper, before signing. "If that's all, then I take my leave," he said leaving the table.

"Good luck in the Amazon!" Naruto shouted, smiling.

Shino lifted his hand, to acknowledge that he heard, and then he exited the building.

"Ah, Shino's lucky, going to the Amazon," Naruto said, reaching down to eat another fry.

"The Amazon's a hazardous place," Gaara stated, scanning his quotes.

"That's what would make it fun!" Naruto reached for a napkin to clean off his hands, before eating his sandwich.

"Hmm." Gaara pushed his plate forward, and started working ideas on how to organize information into an article. He would be passing this onto a rookie, doubtless, but it was practice, and he enjoyed the exercise, even though he didn't have enough information to make an article.

"You're not eating anymore, Gaara?" Naruto asked.

He shook his head, not glancing up at the blond.

"Why not?" he pushed.

"I'm not hungry," the red head said, tweaking with a word.

"Fine," the blond sulked.

It was quiet, but it only lasted a few minutes before Bridget came by and took their dishes.

"You're not eating anymore?" she asked the red head in concern.

"He says he's not hungry," Naruto said, pouting. "Oh! Can we get your Double Chocolate Chip Phenomenal dessert?" his voice was enthusiastic.

Bridget nodded, then left.

"You're going to love this dessert, Gaara! I just know it!"

The red head marked off a word, before sighing, "Naruto, I can't concentrate if you're still talking."

"Then don't work! I got you out of the house so you wouldn't be working, and then you started questioning Shino!" Naruto accused him, and then paused. "Although, I did like seeing you do what you do," he said, poking the tips of his index fingers against each other as he looked over at Gaara.

"Here you go," Bridget said, placing a bowl in between the men, two spoons sticking out of it.

"Thanks, Bridget," Naruto said, beaming up at her before she left their table.

"Okay, now Gaara, you're going to really love this," the blond gave him a serious look, before taking a spoon, and began to poke the dessert. "This part here, is a whole chocolate chip cookie. It's homemade," he said, pointing to the cookie at the very bottom of the bowl. "This part here is chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream," he pointed to the middle part of the dessert, where there was a generous portion of creamy ice cream. "The ice cream is homemade, and the cookie dough is homemade," Naruto added. "Now, here's the best part, on top of all this yummy goodness, is homemade fudge, and crumbled up chocolate chip cookies."

Gaara nodded, trying to look uninterested.

Naruto sulked, then got a mischievous look on his face. Taking his spoon, he laded it with a generous portion of ice cream, fudge, and cookie, before dragging the spoon under Gaara's nose. He made small elipticals in front of the red head, and said, "You know you want some."

The red head gave the blond a peevish look, before moving his head, and used his mouth to grab the end of the spoon.

"Gah!" Naruto exclaimed, trying to remove his spoon from Gaara's mouth. The red head glared at him over the spoon, and then closed his eyes as he got a taste of warn fudge and cool ice cream. His mouth loosened on the spoon letting Naruto rescue it from his clutches.

The red head opened his eyes and licked his lips. "That was very delicious," he said in a rich, throaty voice.

Then he grabbed the other spoon, and took a large portion as Naruto sat and blushed, open mouthed until he saw Gaara eating his dessert. "What a minute!" he cried out. "That's my dessert!"

"You shouldn't have tempted me," the red head said. "And it came with two spoons, so it's meant to be shared."

"B-But it doesn't normally come with two spoons," Naruto whined, then he scowled. Narrowing his eyes, he said, "Bridget."

He watched Gaara take another bite.

"Wait! You're not supposed to eat while I'm talking," Naruto said, grabbing his spoon, and getting his own bite.

They had a mutual, silent agreement to share until they came to the last bite.

Gaara reached to take it, but then Naruto parried off his spoon with his own. His smile was maniacle as he got the bite, but then he had to taunt the red head. He swished the spoon in front of Gaara, and stuck out his tongue. The next thing he knew, his spoon was in the red head's mouth.

"Y-You can't do that!" Naruto cried out. "That was _my_ bite. You already had two extra bites!"

"You taunted me," Gaara said, wiping his mouth with his napkin. He gave the blond a cool look over it, "Deal with the consequences."

"B-But this is different! This is Bridget's phenomenal dessert!" Naruto cried out.

"You taunted me," Gaara repeated, closing the discussion.

He had not expected Naruto to take it to heart; however, since leaving the diner, the blond had strode ahead of him in a petulant storm.

He finally slowed down so Gaara could catch up to him, and then said, "You know, it wouldn't have been so bad, if Bridget hadn't smiled evilly at me when we left. She knows how much I like her desserts." He stuffed his hands in his pocket, fidgeting, and said, "Where do you want to go? I still have an hour."

Gaara looked around, and pointed at a sign, "How about that bookstore?"

Naruto nodded, and headed in that direction, making sure that the red head would be able to keep up. When they entered the bookstore, they split up. Gaara watched the blond head to the teens section, before heading off to the journalism section. It didn't take long for him to find what he wanted, and then he went to find his blond.

He wasn't in the teens section, and Gaara frowned as he searched the other aisles, looking for his blond. He found him two aisles over in the comic section.

Naruto was sitting on the floor, reading a manga, and crying, his shirt collar pulled into his mouth as he bit down on it. Gaara made his way over to the blond, and sat next to him. Unsure of what to do, he read over Naruto's shoulder, trying to figure out what was going on so he could comfort the blond. Maybe the manga had triggered something?

However, he couldn't make heads or tails of what was going on in the manga. He frowned, and then realized that the blond was crying over a character. How was he supposed to comfort someone over that?

Naruto glanced over meeting his eyes. Then the watery blue eyes widen, and he scooted a few feet away, frantically rubbing his eyes against his sleeves. "U-Uh, I wasn't crying," the blond said. "They we-were manly tears!" he exclaimed.

Gaara frowned at the blond, then picked up the discarded manga. He glanced at the front, and noticed that it was volume 16. He flipped it open, and began to read it anyway. He felt guilty for taking Naruto's manga when he noticed the blond reaching for another one, but then he noticed that it was the next one in the series, and waved off the guilt.

Naruto sat next to him, and they leaned their shoulders against each other. Gaara read it for a while, but then the images began to blur together, and he blacked out.

* * *

><p>Gaara groaned as something shifted underneath his bruised cheek, he felt a soft vibration, and a voice said, "Shh, he's sleeping."<p>

The red head blinked, and glanced around with groggy eyes. He noticed a person towering over him, and wondered where he was at before noticing the bookshelves behind her. He turned his head, and saw white. He stared at it in confusion, before sitting up and scooting away fast.

Naruto pouted up at the lady, "Now look what you did; you woke him up."

"I'm sorry, sir," the lady said. "I just wanted to make sure nothing bad had happened.

"Nope!" Naruto flashed her a smile, "He just fell asleep on me. He works way too much." Naruto gave Gaara a disapproving glance, and the red head scowled back at him.

The blond laughed, and stood up, stretching, and the lady skittered away. Naruto looked down at Gaara before holding out his hand to help him up. Gaara stared at it for a second before ignoring it and standing on his own two feet.

Then he reached down and picked up the manga and his book and walked to the cash registers. Naruto followed him, a soft smile on his face.

* * *

><p>AN: Heh, I think this is pay back for Gaara's horrible day yesterday (in universe, hahaha). This time, Naruto gets to feel the burn (literally and figuratively)! I hope you liked the ice cream battle! I feel so ashamed, though, that I used the fanon source of Gaara being addicted to cookies! oTL Oh, well. It was fun. You're probably wondering how on earth Gaara knows that The Sleepy Frog font was Chalkboard (I do not own), well, that comes from being a reporter. In my publications class, we had to know the different fonts, and which ones were okay to use, and the like. So, I wasn't giving him unnecessary knowledge that he shouldn't know, he probably already knew it (and would know that it is incorrect to use for his articles).

Oh, and I've never done this, but I want to, sooo,

Anyone who can guess what manga they're reading gets Bridget's Double Chocolate Chip Phenomenal dessert (I wish you were real!), and a mention in the next chapter's author's notes. (I hope there aren't too many mangas with sixteen volumes... a hint, maybe? The guy who died created pink snow.)

Ahhh, and Bridget. Hmm, I want to apologize, because I'm putting a lot of OCs in this fanfic, but many of them are just one-timers, Bridget will be mentioned later on (same as Brittany), but it serves a purpose in the story. I like Bridget, by the way. Originally, she was just going to be one of those older, chain smoking curly auburn waitresses that you always see in the movies (she called Gaara sweetness, to his shock XD ), but then I wanted to change her into a snarky goth teenaged orphan, who had gangsters for parents. Then that age was bumped up ten years or so, and her savior from that disastrous night is her boss, and husband, but her personality is pretty much the same.

I promise, I think Bridget is the last new (named) OC in-story that you will see. Actually, I believe I am 100% correct in that assumption. *Comes back from looking over her notes* Oops, sorry, there is one more named OC, unless I change it. However, he isn't as involved as Bridget, and really, I only needed a name because they went to a nice restaurant, and don't servers usually give their names at nice restaurants? Correct me if I'm wrong.


	9. Chapter 9: Protector

**Title**: Iris

**Author**: LadySable (LiveJournal)/StoryBard()

**Pairing**: GaaNaruGaa

**Rating**: T

**WARNINGS**: This will have heterosexuality and homosexuality. If either offend you, this is not the story for you.

**Disclaimer**: The characters are property of Masashi Kishimoto. I do not make money from this fan made work.

**Summary**: AU/AR Gaara adopts a pet unlike any other.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 9: Protector<strong>

"Gaara!" Kankuro yelled as he came through his office door.

He looked up from the article in front of him, and glowered at the brunette.

"Oh, um, sorry," he mumbled, and then sat down in one of Gaara's office chairs.

"What do you need, Kankuro? I'm kind of busy," he said, gesturing to the paperwork on his left.

"I can't see my little brother in the morning? It's my routine now, you know. If I don't come and see you in the morning, I'll have a horrible day. You wouldn't do that to me? Besides, Sakura is busy with a new transfer. Her name is Karin, and she's stealing my pink haired fem away!"

Gaara ignored him, and continued working.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay," Kankuro said in a quiet voice.

"Why wouldn't I be okay?" he asked, looking up at the brunette.

"BCG attacked a residential home not to far from where you live. I was worried that maybe you had gotten in the crossfire or something. I mean, you are reporting on them, and they might have found out."

"Why would you be worried? I can take care of myself," Gaara said.

"But you don't have to take care of yourself, Gaara. We're here for you, too. It's okay to depend on people, sometimes," Kankuro sighed. "I didn't come here to lecture you, anyway. I wanted to tell you that I'm coming over tonight, so don't say I didn't warn you."

"Why?"

"Why am I coming over? Because I want to make sure this dog of yours can at least protect you from a burglar, not to mention some gang members. If it can't even do that much, then I'm sleeping over until you finish that article or they go away."

"Kankuro," Gaara warned.

"No, Gaara, I'm not going to budge on this. That article is dangerous, and I want to make sure that you're properly protected in your own home," Kankuro said, standing up. He punched the top of the table, and said, "See you tonight."

Gaara glared at him until he was gone.

This was somehow Naruto's fault, he was sure of it. Ever since he took the blond in, he had more visitors come over to his house than ever before. It was ridiculous.

He looked up when his door opened again, ready to make Kankuro leave because he had work to do, when he noticed that it was Sai. He grimaced, debating whether this was worse or better than his older brother bugging him.

"What can I do for you, Sai?" he sighed.

"Now, Gaara, don't be like that," Sai chided. "I mean, 'your smile is more important,' and I would hate to be the person to cause you to frown."

Gaara scowled at him and reached for his phone.

"It won't work; I'm a member of the police. The Root division, to be exact."

"Then, can I at least see some credentials, a badge, perhaps?" Gaara asked, his voice icy, not moving his hand away from the phone.

Sai reached behind him, and Gaara tensed, ready to pick the phone up and dial 911. "I'm just getting my badge, like you asked me to, Gaara."

He didn't budge until Sai flipped open a wallet and showed him something that looked like a badge. Gaara motioned with his head for Sai to move forward, and looked carefully at the badge. It wasn't like some of the other police badges he'd seen, but it did show that the dark haired man was from Konoha, and from the Root division of his police department. It even showed a picture of Sai from a few years ago.

He removed his hand from the phone, and said, "Fine. So why are you following me?"

Sai shifted, and looked down, troubled, "I'm under a legal contract that forbids me from saying anything, but I don't think my boss realizes how dangerous what he's doing is."

"Under contract? What is he doing that's so dangerous? And what does it have to do with me?"

Sai laughed, cheerless, "Ah, it's not just about you, Gaara. There's a certain person that was noticeable in Konoha for a long time. My boss kept an eye on him because he was sure that person would attract BCG, and that he could finally capture them, or get rid of them, and he would become mayor because of that. However, two months ago, it seemed that person had disappeared. Then a month ago, Tsunade sent her star pupil to the Suna newspaper. My boss was suspicious, and sent me, too." Sai locked his eyes on Gaara's, and said, "That person was Naruto."

"How did you-?" Gaara asked, and then he groaned. "Last week, right before my break, I told you. Damn it."

Sai nodded, "I would apologize, but we needed to know. BCG's movements are becoming more prominent, and I'm pretty sure they're looking for Naruto right now."

"That doesn't make sense, though. What does Naruto have to do with any of this?" Gaara asked. He knew some of what was going on, but he wanted more information.

Sai looked at him, "Don't you know? He's called 'Child of the Gangs' in Konoha."

"Yes, but he wasn't born from the gangs," Gaara said. "He just got caught up in the crossfire."

"And how do you think he got into the crossfire? You know, I wasn't a member of the retrieval squad, but I heard that many of our troops threw up, and some had to go to therapy because there was so much gore at the scene of the crime." Sai locked gazes with him, "Naruto was in the crossfire, but was it between two groups of gangs fighting over territory, and a family getting caught in the crossfire, or was it a gang ambushing a family who fought back? I'll let you decide, or maybe Naruto will tell you."

Sai turned and left.

If they contained any information that Gaara didn't have, he would have looked in the newspapers of that time period to see if they had more information, but, according to the Veteran, they wouldn't turn up any useful information. Gaara growled, he was getting tired of the mystery around his pet. All he wanted to do was solve it so he could go on his merry way.

* * *

><p>Gaara opened his door, moving to the side to make way for his pouncing pet, but paused when he heard a loud cheer, and a disgruntled groan. He looked inside, seeing his brother sitting on the floor, a maniacal grin on his face, and a game controller in his hand. Naruto, was slumped on the couch with a petulant look on his face, a controller dangling out of his hand.<p>

The blond glanced over at him, and perked up, "Gaara! You're back! I need your help, your brother is cheating, and I can't defeat him!"

"No, I'm not! If anyone would cheat, it'd be you! Evil blond," Kankuro added with a mutter.

"I'm not evil! I already told you that. I'm the hero! He-ro!" Naruto mimed the pronunciation for Kankuro.

Gaara shook his head, and closed the door.

"If you're the hero, then where's your heroine?"

"Heroine?"

"Yeah," Kankuro said, rolling his eyes. "If you're the hero, then you need a woman next to you. She'll be gorgeous and sexy, and after you've saved the world, she'll become your life partner."

Naruto smirked, "I won't have a heroine, I'll have a partner who's equal to me. We'll travel to different dimensions and not only save the world, but the entire universe from the clutches of evil!"

"A partner? Who'd be partners with you?"

"Gaara would!" Naruto cried out.

The red head glanced over at them, and shook his head before heading to the kitchen table to work on the articles he brought home.

"Pfft, yeah right! Even if he did go with you, you still need a woman to round out the whole team. That's one of the rules in a hero story. You need a female so that the guys can ogle her, and the girls will want to be like her, well, that depends sometimes, but still. If you don't have a woman, there's imbalance in the story."

Naruto paused for a moment, and thought about it, "Then Sakura would be the woman. I can't think of anyone else who would be able to survive on such a dangerous journey, except, maybe TenTen, but I don't think she'd come with us."

"Wait a minute, Sakura? As in Haruno Sakura?" Kankuro asked, his eyes eager.

Naruto gave Kankuro a suspicious look, "Yeah, what about her?"

"You have to help me!" Kankuro said. "There's a magenta haired woman trying to take away my cherry blossom!"

Naruto laughed, "Sakura's being pursued by two people at the same time? That's good!"

"No, it's not," Kankuro crossed his arms, petulant. "I want to woo her, but Karin keeps getting in the way. Do you know what Sakura's favorite things are? Where's her favorite place to eat? Anything?"

The blond gave him a puzzled look, "Are you serious about her?"

Kankuro started to nod, and then paused and considered the question. "Yeah, I think I'm serious about her. It's not just that she's pretty and would be a good roll in the hay, but also because she's intelligent, smart, and stands up for herself." Kankuro smiled, "Did you know? On her first day of work she dumped her ice coffee on me! I was so upset because that was my favorite shirt, but seeing her laugh was worth it."

Gaara frowned and looked at Kankuro, "You were complaining the whole day about your ruined shirt."

The brunette gave Gaara a glare, "No, I wasn't!" When he saw the red head glaring at him, he then said, "O-Okay, maybe, _maybe_ a little bit, but that doesn't matter! All that matters is that she smiled, and it was the prettiest thing I'd ever seen."

"Sakura's smile is really pretty, huh," Naruto mused.

"No! I won't let you make this into a rectangle," Kankuro growled at him.

"What?" Naruto asked, confused. "Oh! No, no, no! Sakura and I are platonic. I mean, I used to have a crush on her, but she was in love with my friend so much, that I backed off. Besides," Naruto smiled, "I probably only had a crush on her because her hair's a hue of red."

Kankuro's brow puckered, and he asked, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, my mom's a red head, and her hair went all the way to the back of her legs. It's no wonder that I'm attracted to red heads, 'cause, you know, Freud's always right," Naruto grinned.

Kankuro looked over at Gaara in horror, and began to scoot his way in between Naruto and Gaara, "Y-You're not gay, are you?"

Naruto glowered at him, "No, I'm bi."

"That's not better!" Kankuro cried out, moving to guard Gaara.

Gaara ignored his brother's antics, and said, "I thought that your parents passed away."

"Huh? Oh, yeah, they did, but Tsunade gave me their wedding photo. My mom was three months pregnant at the time," Naruto smiled. "She finally agreed to marry my dad when she found out she was pregnant with me. Before, she kept refusing, even though she loved my father, or, at least, that's what I heard."

"Gaara," Kankuro said, tugging on his pants leg to bring his attention down to him. "Where's that dog of yours? I'm supposed to make sure it protects you from robbers and gang members, and," he lowered his voice, so that only Gaara could hear him, "Evil blonds."

"Dog?" Naruto asked. "Did you get a dog today, Gaara?"

Gaara sent a pointed glare at the blond.

"What? Oh! Oh! I'm," Naruto said, pointing to himself, before stopping, and sitting quietly on the couch, his hands in his lap, like a child who'd gotten in trouble.

"Wait, does that mean you don't own a dog, Gaara, or does this brat not know you very well?" Kankuro glared at Naruto.

"The brat doesn't know me very well," Gaara gritted out.

"How can you say that, Gaara?" Naruto cried out. "After all of our special moments together, and our beautiful date last week!"

"'Beautiful date,'" Kankuro echoed.

Gaara frowned at Naruto, "We didn't go on a date, and what special moments?"

Naruto opened his mouth, but Kankuro interrupted, "No! I don't want to know! Jeez." He rubbed his hand through his hair.

It was quiet, and only the sounds from the video game could be heard.

"Um, I hope you don't mind me bringing over my game console, Gaara," Kankuro said, watching the graphics on the TV screen move around. "I planned on getting here early, checking out your dog, and playing some games until you got here, but then that blond attacked me as I entered your house," Kankuro glared at the blond. "So, I had to destroy him through games to get revenge."

"I don't mind, Kankuro," Gaara sighed, as he flipped over the page he was working on.

"Did you hear that the Veteran's being forced into retirement? You guys are too much alike. He had to be kicked out of his position just so he could focus on his health, and you have to be kicked out just to get a break," Kankuro sighed, then stood up. He sat down in the chair across from Gaara, and said, "You know, his back was really killing him, and it wasn't doing him any good sitting in the office."

Gaara nodded, and said, "He was a good worker, though. Do you know who's going to replace him?"

"Nah, the Head wouldn't tell me anything. I heard, though, that it's someone from a different newspaper who's coming in for just a little while. It seems that her newspaper wants her to get some practice with people she doesn't know, but she'll only be temporary."

"Why just temporary?"

"Well, she's the head of her newspaper, but she's really involved in it. They don't want to lose her, but they also want her to get more practice at being an authority figure, or so I've heard," Kankuro said with a shrug. "You know how everyone likes to gossip at the newspaper. You'd think that since we're reporting about things with facts, they wouldn't be interested in gossip, but I guess we're all just human." Kankuro glared over at Naruto, who was far too quiet, but was still sitting like a child in trouble on his couch.

"Hmm," Gaara hummed, before he marked the last article with a flick of his wrist, and set it down on his finished pile. He cracked his hand, and looked outside.

"Kankuro, what would you like for dinner?" he asked, noting the darkening sky.

"Are you making, or ordering?" Kankuro asked, as he stood up, and made his way to the living room.

"What do you want?"

"Either way, I'd like pizza," he said, grabbing his game controller, before tossing the other one to Naruto, an evil smirk on his face.

Naruto stuck his tongue out at him.

Gaara grabbed his phone, and dialed the pizza place.

"Hey! Gaara, I mean, I know I'm your brother, but shouldn't you ask your other guest what he'd like to eat before assuming he'd like pizza, too?" Kankuro frowned at the red head.

"It's okay, Kankuro. He already knows what I like, and I'm cool with pizza," Naruto said, clutching the controller, his thumb was frantically pushing all the buttons, and his focus was on the TV.

Kankuro frowned, and said, "How often do you come over?"

"Every day, I guess?"

"Every day?"

"Naruto comes over for dinner. If he didn't, his diet would be a wreck," Gaara said.

"Naruto?" Kankuro asked, turning his head in a flash to look at the blond. "Uzumaki Naruto?"

The blond blinked at him, "Yeah? What about me?"

"You're the Child of the Gangs," Kankuro said. Then he paused for a moment, and said, "What a minute. When Temari came over here the first time, she said that Gaara had a blond gigolo, and then a month later, Gaara was asking about an Uzumaki Naruto, and he had a friend, too." Kankuro paused, and then shouted, "_You're_ the pet!" Kankuro slapped his face, "How did I _not_ see it. I'm such an idiot."

"Um, Gaara?" Naruto said, watching the brunette.

"I don't care," he said, and then he ignored them to order their pizza.

"Crap! Not only is Gaara working on the BCG article, but now he has the Child of the Gangs living with him." Kankuro moaned, "I can already see this ending in a tragedy. Yet, it's like fate is playing with you, like you two were supposed to meet."

"G-Gaara? I think your brother's mind broke."

Gaara glared at them, and covered the speaker end of the phone and said, "Just ignore him. He's in the entertainment section of the newspaper. The drama gets to his head, and he tends to act overly dramatic at times."

"Wait," Kankuro said. "If you're the Child of the Gangs, you're supposed to be a really good fighter, right?"

"Supposed to be? I _am_ a really good fighter."

"Okay," the brunette said, standing up. He got into a defensive position and said, "Come at me. I'll see if you can protect my brother."

Naruto looked at him, and then looked at Gaara, who was snapping his phone shut. Then he said, "Um, Kankuro, I can't. It's in my moral code to only use my martial arts whenever I'm in danger, or whenever someone precious to me is in danger."

Kankuro relaxed his position, and asked, "Is Gaara someone who's precious to you?"

"Of course!" Naruto said, giving Kankuro an unwavering look.

Kankuro gave the blond a single nod, and said, "Then I leave my brother in your care."

Naruto flushed, and mumbled, "Why does that sound like you're giving him to me in marriage?"

"What was that?" Kankuro asked, as he sat down on the carpet.

"Nothing," Naruto sang, and then he focused on the game.

Soon, the only sound in the apartment was the fake crowd from the video game, the victorious cries of Kankuro, and the defeated moans of Naruto.

"Wow, you suck, Child of the Gangs," Kankuro said, after beating Naruto three times in a row.

"Would you stop calling me that," the blond muttered. "It's not true, anyway. I was never born from gang members."

"Then why would they call you Child of the Gangs? That's the worst thing to call anyone," Kankuro said, as he stuck his tongue out to make a difficult pass in the game.

"Well," Naruto began, then groaned as Kankuro made another shot. "They didn't do a very good job at the scene of the crime. Tsunade said that my mother and father were just walking along when the battle started. No, wait," Naruto paused. "There wasn't a gang war. She said that they ambushed my parents."

"What? Ambushed? Why would they ambush your parents?"

"I don't know, Tsunade never made an explanation that was clear, but she said it had something to do with my father and mother being famous martial artists."

"Yeah? What were their names?" Kankuro asked with a snort.

"Namikaze Minato, and Uzumaki Kushina."

"What?" Kankuro yelled, standing up, and looking at Naruto. Gaara looked over, and frowned at Kankuro. "What the hell are you doing here, then? They were world famous! They owned a mansion! Why aren't you living in it?"

"I don't get it until I turn twenty-one. Right now, it's in Tsunade's name," Naruto said with a sheepish smile. "I don't even know if I'll keep it, it'd be really lonely living in a huge mansion by myself."

"So? You and Gaara could adopt a bunch of kids, and then it would be so noisy that you wouldn't ever feel lonely," Kankuro said with a shrug.

Gaara threw his pen at Kankuro's head.

"What was that for, Gaara?" The brunette moaned.

"Don't make plans for my future without my input. You're making Naruto angry, too, I have never seen him that red," Gaara said.

Kankuro looked over at the red blond, and said, "But he's not angry, he's just blus-"

"Kankuro!" Naruto cried out, just as the doorbell rang. "Pizza!"

The blond skipped over to the door. Gaara sighed, and walked over to the door, too.

Naruto opened the door with a bang, and nabbed the boxes out of the astonished pizza man's hands.

Gaara watched as the blond made his way over to the coffee table, and then turned to the pizza man, "Please, excuse him." He handed over a twenty, and said, "Keep the change," before closing the door in the pizza man's face.

He turned around, and saw Naruto and Kankuro already digging into the pizza.

"Aren't you going to have some, Gaara?" the blond asked when Gaara passed by.

The red head paused, and gave the blond a cool glare, "No, thank you."

"Is something wrong, Gaara?" Naruto asked, his blue eyes soft in concern.

"Naruto, let him be; he doesn't normally eat dinner."

"He used to eat dinner with me all the time," the blond rebuffed him.

"Really?" Kankuro asked, grabbing another slice of warm pizza.

Gaara gathered the articles he was working on, wincing when he cut his finger on one of the pages.

"Yeah, and now he hasn't been eating dinner at all."

Gaara looked over into the warmly lit living room, and gave the two men a frosty glare, "It's not polite to talk over someone."

"You could have spoken up at anytime," Naruto told him, an uneasy look on his face even as he gave Gaara an idiotic smile.

A scathing look was Naruto's answer. Gaara gave one last glance into the warm room, and then headed towards the cool darkness of his own.

"Where are you going, Gaara?"

"I'm going to work," he said, his hands on the cool handle to his room.

"But, Gaara, your brother is visiting. You're not being a very good host," Naruto called to him from the couch, biting his lips, his eyes apprehensive.

Kankuro looked between the two men, anxious. "N-Naruto," he said, then drifted off when Gaara turned and glowered at the blond sitting in the bright room. Then he pushed the door open and entered shadow filled room.

In the distance, sirens shrieked.

* * *

><p>AN: I hoped you enjoy Naruto meeting Kankuro. Yes, Kankuro is already shipping his brother onto Naruto. XD Mainly for the mansion, but partly for his brother. The entertainment section really doesn't help Kankuro at all. 0.0;


	10. Chapter 10: Suffocation

**Title**: Iris

**Author**: LadySable (LJ)/StoryBard(here)

**Pairings**: GaaNaruGaa

**Rating**: T

**WARNING**: This story has heterosexuality and homosexuality. If either offend you, this is not the story for you.

**SPOILERS**: For chapters **546-548**. This is extremely spoilery, so, if you have not read the chapters, and do not want to be spoiled, do not read.

**Disclaimer**: Characters are property of Masashi Kishimoto.

**Summary**: AU/AR Gaara adopts a pet unlike any other.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10: Suffocation<strong>

_"The good reporter is an emotionless being."_

Heart pounding, he gazed up at the ceiling, his eyes glazed, unseeing.

His left hand reached up, and hovered over his scar, so close to touching it, but not quite. His chest tightened, for a moment, then he sat up. His eyes roved around the full moon lit room, before stopping on the papers at his desk.

The apartment was quiet, the only thing he heard was his heart, pulsing. He swallowed, and unwrapped himself from blankets that entombed him like a coffin.

A pale foot glided to the floor. He crept over to his desk, and sat in his rigid, black chair. He clicked his red pen, and began to write on sallow paper.

* * *

><p><em>A wracking cough echoed in the room.<em>

_"Gaara, you shouldn't be up," Yashamaru said, coming into his room, a tray with a bowl of soup balanced in his hands. He set the tray down on the side table, and moved to place a cool hand on Gaara's forehead. "See? You've got another fever. Let's get you back in bed so you can eat something, then go to sleep."_

_The red head peered one last time out the window, where his brother and sister were playing together, and closed the small writing pad._

_"Yashamaru? Does Father hate me?" he asked as he crawled into bed._

_Yashamaru hesitated, and then said, "I don't think he _hates_ you. He just wants the best for you, even if that means keeping you in your room at all times."_

_Gaara sighed._

_"Here," Yashamaru said. "If you eat all of the soup, I'll teach you how to write the next kanji."_

_"Really?" the red head perked up. "What's the next one?"_

_"It's called ai. It's the noun form of love. For the verb form, it's ai suru. So, I love you is watashi wa anata ga ai suru."_

* * *

><p>There was a soft bang.<p>

He looked around as if coming back from a dream, and noticed that his room was still enshrouded in darkness, save for the lone lamp light, and his alarm clock, showing that it was three fifteen.

He looked down at the paper, and moved the tip of his pen away from it. He'd pressed down too hard, causing the pen to bleed red ink.

* * *

><p><em>"What funny hair you have," a girl giggled, lifting a red lock. "It's so <em>different_."_

_He ignored her, writing down what was going on around him. His teacher told him that since he already knew how to read and write, that he could write while everyone else was supposed to be learning how to read._

_"Hey! Hey! Leave him alone, Emmy," a boy said. "He's a freak, and you'll catch his freak germ."_

_"F-Freak germ?" she asked, dropping the lock of hair, and moving to the other boy's side, watching Gaara like he was an animal._

_"Yeah, see, he looks freakish, with those rings around his eyes, and red hair. He doesn't talk to anyone, and he's always alone. You don't want that to happen to yourself, do you?" the boy asked the girl._

_"N-No."_

_"Then you have to say, 'go away, Freak!' You'll be safe, then." The boy flexed his nonexistent muscles. "If that doesn't work, then I'll protect you."_

* * *

><p>"Gaara?"<p>

The red head's breath caught in his throat, and he coughed.

He looked over at the jiggling doorknob. It was locked.

* * *

><p><em>He wheezed as he breathed in the acrid scent of cleaning products.<em>

_It was just after school, and he was in the janitor's closet._

_"The perfect place for a Freak!" they laughed outside the locked door. Gaara tried to open it, but they would just tsk, and say that he wasn't playing along. Then they left._

_It wasn't until five the next morning that the janitor found him. He was sent to the hospital, the chemical filled air invading his already weak system._

_The first thing he wanted to do when he returned to school was to punch the boy who'd locked him in. He'd gotten away with his 'practical joke' with well-timed tears, and sobs of 'I didn't know!'_

_Gaara wasn't so forgiving._

_He was beaten. He hadn't expected to win, not when it was three against one, but he'd broken the first boy's arm. He was only bruised._

_His teacher frowned at him in the nurse's office, then sighed in defeat. She handed him a pad of paper and a red pen. "Here, write down your side of the story. I'll take it into consideration when I dispense your punishments."_

_He had no dinner that whole week. The first punishment he'd ever received at home; punished because his father didn't want his failures to be flaunted in the public's eye._

_Only Yashamaru cared enough to check on him, to talk to him._

_"You shouldn't hit people," he said, disinfecting a cut on Gaara's cheek. "The only time you should ever hit another person is if they're hurting you, or someone precious to you." Yashamaru snapped the first aid kit shut, and stood._

_"Will you teach me the next kanji?"_

_Yashamaru smiled, "Not tonight, Gaara. It's late."_

* * *

><p>"Gaara! Are you okay? Hey!"<p>

Something hit the door. Hard. The sound rang in his ears, but then fell back into a steady hum. Almost like background music, but he didn't want this background music. What did the smiling blond know?

He was invading again; skewing the truth.

* * *

><p><em>It was November, and Yashamaru was teaching Gaara how to write 'lonely' in Japanese, when he suddenly asked, "Do you love me?"<em>

_Gaara looked up at his uncle. "Yes," he said, clutching the top left corner of his shirt, the closest he could get to clutching his heart. "You make this pain go away," he opened his clench hand, showing._

_He grinned up at Yashamaru, and then recoiled at the dark aura surrounding his uncle._

_"Y-Yasha-?"_

_"Don't. Don't say my name with your filthy mouth," Yashamaru seethed. "You smile so freely, not even thinking about how your mother even felt, how anyone felt about her death. You were never wanted. I never loved, no, I never even _liked_ you."_

_"W-What?" Gaara shuddered. "I-It's a lie, right?" he pleaded, looking up at the man. "Yashamaru!"_

_"Your whole life is a lie," Yashamura said, going out the door. His back was the last thing Gaara saw of him, as his knees hit the floor, tears falling down his face._

* * *

><p>His door flew open; intruder infiltrated.<p>

* * *

><p><em>He was dragged out of bed.<em>

_It shocked him enough, that he complied to being dressed. The strange woman smelled funny, and he dodged every attempt she made to touch him, having not been touched in over a month, having not seen anyone in over a month. Paper filled the floor, not one was blank. The woman would flinch as she accidentally read some of his writing._

_Then he was pushed out the door, and forced into the backseat of a black car. His brother and sister were sitting there, but they made room for him._

_"I expect you to be on your best behavior, Gaara," his father said from the front seat._

_He gave his father an apathetic look, and stared out the window of the car._

_It stopped outside a graveyard._

_His father led them down rows of tombstones, his hands lovingly placed behind Temari's and Kankuro's backs, until he stopped in front of a tombstone that had a hole in front of it. Gaara looked around, but the only people there was his family, if he could call them a family, the minister, and some men, who looked uninterested in the proceedings._

_He almost asked about Yashamaru, an instinctive question, but stopped, and glared at the tombstone they were in front of. Then he froze._

Yashamaru_._

_The tombstone said Yashamaru._

_He jerked out of his frozen state when one of the men accidentally bumped him. They were lowering the casket, and as it floated down to level with the earth, Gaara saw Yashamaru's unblemished, but motionless face. The make-up couldn't hide the signs of death on him. Then the casket was closed, and the earth swallowed him up._

_Gaara choked. He was dead. He wouldn't ever be able to say that it was all a lie. The small ball of hope he had, that maybe it was a lie, was crushed. Crushed into a dust so fine, that he couldn't even see a grain of hope left._

_That night he found a knife and carved the lie into his forehead before passing out on the kitchen floor._

* * *

><p>He felt as if he was in a coffin, being buried, trapped. The blond was burying him. His arms on either side of his chair, blue eyes boring into his.<p>

"Gaara? What the hell is wrong with you? It's past noon! Have you eaten anything today? Or drank anything for that matter?"

Yashamaru's face had looked like that, before, but it had been a lie. But wasn't that a lie?

"Are you okay? Hey! Talk to me, please!"

Gaara clutched his scar, throbbing, gasping, suffocating in blue eyes, dark earth.

* * *

><p><em>His father had left a will. He didn't expect to be mentioned.<em>

_Yet, he was dragged along by Temari at the insistence that, yes, there was something for him._

_Temari and Kankuro got the house, and other worldly goods his father deemed necessary or convenient. The lawyer gave Gaara a letter. Addressed to him. He opened it; either he was begging for forgiveness as a failure of a father from his grave, or he had last parting words to give his failure of a son._

_He read the first line. Then crumpled up the letter._

* * *

><p>"Gaara!"<p>

Hands shook him.

The red head removed the hands from his shoulders, glaring up at the blond.

"Get out."

"Wha-?" Blue eyes widened.

"Leave."

The blond stepped back. "Are you kicking me out?"

Gaara stood up, drawing his fist back.

"Stop," the blond said, voice cold. "I can let myself out."

Gaara was left to bury his grave.

* * *

><p><em>"Did you hear his dad died?"<em>

_"I bet he killed him. Just look at that scar, and his hair. Red as blood."_

* * *

><p>He opened his eyes, and patted the spot next to him, reaching, feeling for the warmth that used to be there when he woke up.<p>

Looking up at the ceiling, he clutched the empty spot, and sat up. His clock told him he was late. He glanced over at the other side of his bed. This would be his third time late in as many days. Since he left.

No. Since he kicked him out.

He stood up, and trudged to the bathroom.

His hair was dripping from the shower. He looked at his toothbrush, alone in its cup. Naruto's toothbrush was orange, and it had a tendency to touch his that would bug him, but no matter how many times he fixed it, it would go back to touching his. He brushed his teeth.

He dragged himself into the kitchen, grabbed his keys, reaching to grab the granola bar that was always there, but all he did was scrape the counter. He looked at his nail, and then left, going the short trek to work.

* * *

><p>He was making dinner on Thursday. Ramen.<p>

His brother wasn't even bugging him. When he went into work on Tuesday, he glared at his brother, daring him to come near him. Only for his brother to just give him a worried glance, then go to his own office.

His chest nearly caved in, the disregard hurt.

* * *

><p>On Friday, his office door opened, and he forced himself to look up from the manga in his lap with a noted slowness. He didn't want to scare another person away. It would be the tenth time this week.<p>

He watched in surprise as Kankuro set a plastic bag on his desk. His brother dug around in it, handing Gaara a to-go box. He took it in reflex, then set it down near the pile of finished articles.

Kankuro grabbed his own to-go box, and sat in one of the office chairs. He took a bite of his sandwich. Then he said, "You were late every single day this past week. You're lucky you had Monday off, or you'd be in a lot of trouble with the Head. He doesn't tolerate lateness from just anybody, you know."

He ate another bite.

"You need to eat something. Have you ate at all this week?"

Gaara shrugged.

Kankuro frowned, and then said, "Bridget left you something special in your to-go box. She said that she hopes you two will come by sometime soon. She's never had so much fun."

Gaara froze, he felt like something was lodged in his throat. He reached over to the to-go box, and opened it.

"She said they were your favorite."

He stared at the same lunch he had ordered the one time he'd gone to the restaurant, and two cookies, wrapped in dainty napkins on the side. No one knew he liked cookies. No one except-

He picked up a cookie, and gently broke a piece off, and ate it. It was cold comfort.

He finished it, and nibbled on the sandwich. "Thank you," he said softly.

Kankuro looked down, and shook his head, "You shouldn't thank me. Blondie called me and Tem Sunday. He said that you weren't feeling well, that if you avoid work for too long to check on you. Temari wanted to check on you that night. I stopped her, though. You needed some space."

He paused, and took a minute to eat some fries. "I wasn't going to even butt in, except that you're coming in late to work, and you don't seem to care about that fact at all. The Head's not going to get on your case about it, he'll just fire you. The Veteran is still on leave. He probably won't come back, he's in the hospital. So, that just leaves me.

Did you get into a fight with Blondie?"

Gaara stiffened, and then looked down. He traced a face in the manga with his finger, stalling.

He heard his brother shift, clothes rustling.

"I-I had a nightmare," Gaara said, looking away from Kankuro. "I sound like a child, but it shook me. I haven't had one for so long, and then all of a sudden," he gestured with his hands, trying to show what he meant.

"It's probably not 'all of a sudden,'" Kankuro sighed. "Blondie is starting to get to you, and you're still having issues because of Uncle."

Gaara nodded absently, and said, "Some old memories came up, and he, he got too close. It was too much. Too-"

"He destroyed your zone?" Kankuro offered helpfully. "That seems like him. More than willing to help other people out, even if they aren't ready for it."

The red head looked away, something was lodged in his throat again. "I-Yes, he barged in-I haven't even checked to see if my lock is broken, or if he managed to pick it-and shook me. I lashed out. I wanted him gone, and I was ready to make him leave using whatever means possible, even my own fist."

"That doesn't seem like you," Kankuro said, eating another fry, then pouting into his to-go box.

Gaara passed over his own to-go box, and Kankuro frowned at him, then shrugged. He removed what was left of the turkey sandwich and the cookie, leaving those on the desk, then ate some fries. "What do you mean by that?" he asked Kankuro when the brunette was settled.

"Well, you stopped hitting people after you turned six. I guess you just got engrossed in writing, or something, although, it does help that Father paid that one lady to homeschool you until second grade. Then everyone just avoided you.

"The only time you ever react physically is when you need to lie, and yet, you can't lie. You've never told a lie in your entire life. Not even a white one. Like, when I asked you if you'd eaten this week, you couldn't answer to my satisfaction, so you shrugged. The more you feel you need to lie, and are forced to say something, the harder you react," Kankuro said.

Gaara glowered at him, "Did I miss some part in your life when you took psychology?"

Kankuro laughed, "Nope, I just know you, but, you know, there's this pink haired fem who's gone to medical school, and she's warming up to me again."

"She's gone to medical school? Why did she become a reporter, then?"

"I don't know, maybe I'll ask Blondie about it. Speaking of which, you should look for him after work, if you really want him back," Kankuro said, standing up. "I have a feeling that, unless you go after him, he won't be coming back. He's making this your choice, he won't push you."

Kankuro patted his stomach, and frowned, "Now I'm going to have to thank him for recommending such a good restaurant. Who would have guessed that, behind the silly name, there was a really good chef."

"You talked to him?"

"Connus?"

"No, the blond."

"Oh, yeah, this morning. I know you, but I needed to get you something that you would eat, and he's the one around you the most." Kankuro paused, and said, "Stop looking like I betrayed you. Wait," Kankuro said, shocked. "Y-You're sulking!"

Gaara glowered at him, "No, I'm not."

"Is it because I talked to Naruto? Oh my gosh, it is. I just know it is."

There was a tense silence before Kankuro spoke up again.

"Did I tell you?" Kankuro asked him excitedly. "I think Karin's finally warming up to me! I might actually get a threesome!"

"In your dreams, Kankuro," Sakura said, hitting him on the head. "Sorry to interrupt, Gaara, but we," she pointed towards herself, and a magenta haired woman in the doorway, "need Kankuro to approve of something."

Gaara stared at the two women before nodding, wondering if naturally pink haired women was a sign of the apocalypse soon to come.

* * *

><p>He unlocked his apartment door, and entered, wanting to dodge the attack that wouldn't come, but couldn't bring himself to do such a reaction after three days of catching himself in the act of doing so.<p>

He kicked off his shoes inside the doorway.

Then froze as a familiar smell wafted towards him. He turned to look at the table where a bowl was innocently placed in his spot. He went forward to investigate the contents, and noted that it was his blond's favorite food. He stood silent for a moment, but heard no one moving in his apartment. Yet, the bowl was hot underneath his fingers.

He turned to look at his apartment door. He knew. Then he looked back down at the bowl. The corners of his lips twitched. Naruto would push and shove himself into your life, but his brother was wrong. All his blond was doing was giving him space, but he wouldn't let anyone go. If he ignored this ramen bowl, another one would show up the next day, and the day after that, until he caved. Yet, it was up to Gaara to decide when he would cave.

He was already buried, what was a few more rocks?

He hesitated. Fingers lingering on the warm bowl. Then they slid off as he headed to the door, tripping over his shoes.

Gaara opened the door, then frowned.

He peered around the door sill. He'd expected the blond outside his door smiling at him, not slumped against the wall.

"N-Naruto?"

The blond turned and looked up. He gave Gaara a shaky smile.

Gaara hesitated, and then said, "Come inside, please."

The blond was inside his house in an instant.

The red head closed the door, and lingered by the doorway. He watched as the blond set his small duffle bag in the living room, and as he frowned at the bowl on the table.

He turned, and said, "I made that for you. I would have tried something more to your taste, but," Naruto fumbled. "You know, I burn things, and, yeah," he trailed off.

Naruto looked down. "I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have forced myself into your room, I just wanted to help and, I, I should know better, by now," he ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "I mean, that's what instigated my fight with Sasuke, although, I'm learning that there were lots of things building up to it." He looked down and shuffled his feet, "W-Will you forgive me?"

Gaara tilted his head slightly, "Naruto, you were forgiven the moment I opened my door."

Naruto smiled at him, it was soft and gentle, unlike his more energized smiles, unlike his fake smiles. He wanted to bask in that smile forever.

He looked away, and said, "I-I had a nightmare, that night." He paused, not looking at Naruto. "It unsettled me."

He wavered for a moment, and then cold hands were cupping his face. He looked into concerned blue eyes.

"Would this be easier in the bathroom?" Naruto asked.

Gaara paused, then nodded.

Naruto looked into his eyes, and said, "You don't have to tell me. Everyone has their secrets."

"No," Gaara said, he lifted his hand, and touched Naruto's tanned one. "I want to tell you."

Naruto nodded, and then removed his cold hands from his face. He grabbed the small duffel, and headed into the bathroom.

The red head lingered by the door, his gaze trailing around his apartment. His eyes paused on the sliding glass door, and he took a firm step towards the bathroom.

Naruto was just getting into the bathtub when he slipped through the door. The blond was completely submersed up to his chin in the steaming water.

Gaara knelt near the tub, and touched the blond's head, "Were you cold?"

The blond nodded, "It's a lot colder here, at night. I wasn't out there long, but it was enough to chill me."

He reached around the tan man, and grabbed the shampoo and conditioner. Then he set them to the side and gently dunked Naruto's head into the water.

Gaara ran tender fingers through the blond hair, and then began to shampoo it, lingering.

"My scar," he paused. Then began to talk fast, "It's a Japanese kanji; it's called ai, and it means 'love'. My... uncle taught me some of it when I was little. I was premature, fragile, and would get sick easily. Many times I couldn't do much. I was left in my room, alone, except for my uncle. He would come in, and read to me, but then I started to learn to read myself, and my uncle helped me," Gaara stopped, and took a deep breath, calming himself.

"I wasn't a genius, or anything like that. It was just that I had nothing better to do, so by the time I got into kindergarten, I could read chapter books by myself. My teachers had no idea what to do. I was advanced in reading and writing, but a beginner when it came to everything else, including how to interact with kids my age.

"Anyway, my uncle started to teach me Japanese, a little. He and my mother had Japanese parents. They moved here when they were little, though, so they didn't have many memories from Japan; he taught me what he could remember."

Gaara ran his hand through the blond hair, and then reached for the conditioner. He kneaded it into the hair. He swallowed around the lump in his throat, and whispered, "I felt it was appropriate after he told me that everything he'd done up to the point that I turned five, was a lie," he stopped.

After a minute passed, Naruto's wet hands were intertwined around his. He'd stopped washing the blond hair. Gaara gazed at it, and ran his fingers through the blond strands; the tan hands fell back into the water.

"I wasn't fine with it, it hurt so much, but at least," he paused. "At least it seemed final. My uncle died a month later, he'd been sick for a while, and he wouldn't ever be able to tell me that it was different, that I was loved. It was right after my uncle died that Temari started to try and interact with me, but I didn't want anything to do with anyone at the time. I thought she was just feeling guilty, and it took me a long time to realize that if she was only around because of guilt, she and Kankuro would have left me a long time ago. I didn't make it easy on them."

"So what changed?" Naruto asked calmly, as Gaara repeated the cycle on his hair.

"My father left something for me in his will. Rather, it was something he'd kept from me. It was a letter from Yashamaru. There was a month between the night he lied to me, and when he died. I'm unsure-I don't know what he went through during that time. I kept myself locked in my room, only leaving to make myself something to eat when everyone else was asleep. I don't know when Yashamaru had the time, or even the energy, to place a letter under my door, but it was there where my father found it.

"He took it, and the only kindness he ever did for me was to put it in his will.

"Yashamaru wrote that everything that night was a lie. That he had never hated me. Yet, what kind of person is willing to tell someone, anyone, that kind of lie? I've read stories where the character does it to protect someone, but there was no protection in this lie. If there was, he wouldn't have felt the need to write a letter. If he truly loved me, would he be able to lie so convincingly? There had to have been some truth in it. I don't know what to believe."

He was shocked when Naruto turned in the water and grabbed his head, forcing him to stare in pained, sad blue eyes, "Gaara, the truth is what you make of it. Only you can decide what's true or false. The only truth is as you know it. No one else can make you believe something you don't want to."

"I was-he manipula-lied-to me. He-"

"Hey," Naruto said, his voice soft, "I didn't say that they couldn't trick you into believing lies, but you don't have to believe those tricks. There's always a little bit of truth in every lie, and a little bit of falsehood in every truth because there is no absolute truth." Naruto moved his hands away from Gaara's face, "But wouldn't it be nice to believe he did love you?" Gaara swallowed, and looked down. "I'm sure he did. No one would spend that much time with their nephew if they truly didn't care. Kind of like Temari and Kankuro."

He couldn't answer.

"Gaara?"

He looked up and Naruto was a blur.

"Oh, shi-!" the blond was turning in the bath tub, looking for something, his hands waving back and forth. He was floundering, making water slosh over the tub. "Where did that freakin' towel go?" he yelled, and then it was quiet.

Naruto was next to him in the tub, dabbing a wet towel over his cheeks. "Dammit, I didn't mean to make you sad or anything."

Gaara started laughing. Covering his face with his hand, he laughed.

"What did I do, now?" Naruto asked with petulance.

Gaara shook his head, and stood up. "I've done my part. I'm going to head to bed now, I'm tired."

"Oi! You jerk! Tell me your sob story, and laugh at me, then leave me in cold water! Is that any way to treat a pet?"

Gaara paused by the door, and cocked his head, "But you're not a pet. You're a friend. And Kankuro said, 'friends abuse friends to show their love'."

* * *

><p><em>"Watashi wa anata ga ai suru."<em>

* * *

><p>AN: Naruto got a status upgrade! And Gaara shouldn't be taking advice from Kankuro. XD

On another note... *whimpers* It's a good thing characters aren't real. So many authors (and fanfiction writers) would be going to jail for the terrible things they do to them. ;_;

Seriously, this is my third draft of this chapter, and it wasn't until I got to writing this one that I realized how utterly horrible it was what I was doing to Gaara. ;_; Not that canon is any better, but still, and another fanfiction story I'm working on right now is even worse than that.

Ah, and this is about as close to gratuitous Japanese as I'll ever get. Also, just to note, for those not taking Japanese (I'm below a kindergartener, though, in Japanese :'( ), ai is the highest form of love. It means that no matter what, you will always love them, even if they were a demon, or something. It's... agape? It's hard to explain in English, because we only have like or love that could be used in that sort of context, love being the highest, and agape, and ai is higher than that... if you put love on a scale.

Anyway, so if you really want to tell your lover, a friend, or a relative that you love them in Japanese, just switch ai suru with 'suki da' (kind of slur on the suk part) or 'daisuki da' (same with the suk part it almost sounds like ski, but with a little 'u' in it, and dai sounds like dye (or die)), unless you really feel it's agape. Daisuki is a little higher up on the love scale than suki. Just don't go to Japan and start saying watashi wa anata ga ai suru! 'Cause they probably won't like you too much for doing that, and also, that's the informal way of saying it, so don't use it on anyone you don't know. They'd probably be insulted. However, I've only been taking Japanese for three years, so if I'm doing something wrong, please, feel free to correct me.

Oh, and the first name last, last name first, is kind of gratuitous. I blame that on Shikamaru's Japanese VA. There's a scene with Shikamaru, right after Pain destroy's Konoha and just when Naruto gets there, where he says "Uzumaki Naruto" and something about it gives me good shivers. I don't know if you'll be able to find the exact moment where he says it, but it's definitely worth checking out (or maybe I'm just weird?). So, yeah, that's the whole reason for the name flips.


	11. Chapter 11: Ice Mangos

**Title**: Iris

**Author**: LadySable (LJ)/StoryBard(here)

**Pairings**: GaaNaruGaa

**Rating**: T

**WARNING**: This story has heterosexuality and homosexuality. If either offend you, this is not the story for you.

**Disclaimer**: Characters are property of Masashi Kishimoto. I don't own a Mustang, and I don't think I can even create a Mustang as I can barely fix my car when it breaks down, so, no, it's not mine. I also do not own Avatar or the ice mango drinks. Those are property of Nickolodeon. Also don't own Google.

**Summary**: AU/AR Gaara adopts a pet unlike any other.

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><p><strong>Chapter 11: Ice Mangos<strong>

The first thing Gaara heard when he woke up was his alarm clock. His eyes flashed open, and, in a state of panic, reached over, trying to find the blond. When his hands grasped onto no living being, he flew out of bed, catching himself in blankets, and began to search the house.

There was no sign of Naruto.

He tried to slow his racing heart, but there was a heightened insecurity from having revealed things to the blond that he hadn't even told his own family. Even worse, though, was losing someone he considered a friend, his only friend.

"Gaara!" He jumped, and looked around the apartment, until he figured out that it was his answering machine recording Kankuro's message. He hadn't even heard the phone ring. "If you're not at work in ten minutes, I am going to break into your apartment and drag you to work!"

Gaara scowled at the phone, and then took the quickest shower possible, dressed, and took his car to work, instead of walking.

He was just entering the building as Kankuro was coming out.

His brother's face relaxed from an anxious worry, to relief. Then he grabbed Gaara's wrist, and dragged the red head to his office. "Thank goodness," the brunette said as he sat down at his desk. Gaara sank into an office chair across from his brother. "I was beginning to wonder if something bad had happened. Don't tell me you're late because you guys..." Kankuro trailed off, his face crimson.

"Kankuro, does your mind just have a natural tendency to head to the gutter?" Gaara asked, frustrated.

"Probably," Kankuro gave him a cheeky grin that turned serious. "So what happened last night?"

Gaara's brow puckered, and he looked at Kankuro, biting his lower lip. Then he looked away.

The brunette slapped the front of his face, and said, "Don't tell me you couldn't find him? Jeez, and now you're jumping to conclusions, aren't you? Like, BCG has him or something?"

"No, I found him."

Kankuro moaned, covering his face, "So you told him everything, and he rejected you?"

"I-I don't know," Gaara muttered, his eyes locked on the picture of a ballerina in one of the articles Kankuro felt was good enough to be hanged up in picture frame. "He wasn't there this morning, and he's normally back from his run in time to wake me up."

"Well, maybe he just got sidetracked today. You know, maybe he needed some coffee, or something and met some interesting people. He reminds me of those social types who are lured into any conversation, just for the sake of talking." Kankuro walked around the desk and sat next to his brother, "Naruto doesn't seem like the kind of person who would stand you up. He seems like he'd be in your face about it."

"He's always there in the morning, every morning," Gaara said.

"Did something change last night? I mean, a change in feelings, relationship, anything?" The brunette watched his brother, worry evident in his face.

"I, um, I said that he wasn't my pet anymore, that he was my friend," he looked down, red hair falling over his eyes.

"Oh," Kankuro let out a sigh filled with relief. "Is that all? Well, maybe he felt that it was inappropriate to wake you up like he usually does, or something." Kankuro paused and frowned, "But that doesn't seem like Naruto. He'd probably keep doing it just because he enjoys it."

Gaara nodded.

"Maybe something happened this morning? What does he normally do before he wakes you up?"

"He runs."

"He runs?" Kankuro asked in surprise. "Really? Wow, I feel lazy now. He runs, and then wakes you up at five thirty? How early does he wake up?"

Red hair rustled as Gaara shrugged.

"Blondie means a lot to you, huh? If he really did break your heart, I'm going to kill him, but, for now, let's give him the benefit of the doubt, okay? I can't see this guy intentionally hurting you."

"I hurt him," Gaara said in a strained voice.

"He forgave you, though. Right? I mean, he wouldn't come back if he didn't forgive you."

"I-I think he did, um, but he asked me to forgive him."

"Ah, see! He wouldn't just run out on you! Besides, despite worrying about the blond, you look a lot lighter than you have in, well, forever. Did he say something?"

Gaara smiled down at the floor, "Yeah. He said I could believe whatever I wanted. That it would be my truth."

"Huh, that seems a little too insightful for the blonde munchkin," Kankuro said, leaning back, watching Gaara.

The red head just smiled at the floor.

It was silent for a moment, and then his brother said, "Well, with this little, um, emergency taken care of, you can get to work now, right? This is so awkward," Kankuro moaned. "I never had to worry about Temari and her relationships, she's always so straightforward about what she wants. I feel like I'm doing a girl talk with you."

Gaara hit Kankuro on the head and stood up, "I'm not a girl. Men can talk about their feelings, too."

"Yeah, yeah, I know that. They just don't, normally," Kankuro muttered.

He opened his mouth to retort, but then his cell phone buzzed. Gaara frowned, and got it out to look at it, then he smiled, "Naruto." He flipped it open to answer, "Hello?"

"Gaara? Gaara! It's you! I've been trying to get ahold of you for a really long time! There's little cell phone sig-Ow! Ow, ow, ow," Naruto whimpered.

"Naruto? Naruto, what's going on?"

"Ahahaha, um, I'm tied up to a chair right now. These guys say they're BCG, and that if you don't bring a million dollars to this site that, um, they'll kill me. Hey, um, tell Temari to remember the night we had with the Avatar at the Ice Mango Bar, please? She won't believe me otherwise. Oh, and don't worry about me! They can't kill me, so don't worry about that!"

There were thuds, and the sound of flesh hitting flesh; Naruto yelled in the background.

"Just because we can't kill you, kid, doesn't mean we can't hurt you until you wished you were dead," a voice growled.

The voice chuckled with dark humor into the phone, "I really like this world, you know. It revolves around money. Okay, Gaara, we want you to bring a million dollars to us by tomorrow at ten, at the abandoned shoe factory. We'll return the blond to you after that, maybe unbroken, but who can tell about these things? It really depends on how cooperative the blond is. You'd think after letting him give a message to his beloved that he would be grateful." Naruto was screaming again in the background, and Gaara held his breath until it stopped.

"A little incentive for you to hurry up is good, right?"

"I'll bring it," Gaara hissed, before snapping his phone shut.

"Gaara?" Kankuro said hesitantly.

Gaara glowered at him, "Naruto's in the hand of BCG, if something bad happens to him, I will feed your heart to you. After being in the entertainment section for so long, you would think that some genre savviness would rub off on you, but it hasn't, to Naruto's detriment."

Kankuro looked at him, unblinking, and then said, "No, no, no, no. Why does this always happen to me? I should just cut my tongue out, maybe that would make things better?"

"Anyway, Naruto said to tell Temari 'to remember the night we had with the Avatar at the Ice Mango Bar.'" Gaara frowned, "He even added, 'please.'"

"Is that really so amazing?"

"No, it just seemed out of context to what was going on," Gaara mused.

Kankuro sighed, and stood up, "Well, I'll go tell the Head what's going on. He is not going to be happy with you at all. You better start writing up some really amazing articles after all this."

"What?"

"You didn't think I was just going to let you go about this on your own, did you? You're my brother, I'm not going to let you deal with BCG by yourself. Besides, you have to go and talk to Temari, and this is a perfect opportunity to see her husband in action. All I've seen him do is watch clouds and say 'what a drag,'" Kankuro explained.

"That's true," Gaara mused. "We never really did get to see what was so amazing about him that Temari was stolen away from us."

"Right, you call her up; I'll go talk to the head."

Kankuro left the office, leaving Gaara to call Temari.

He was saying goodbye to Temari when Kankuro came through the door.

"Okay, the Head said that we can go, but he's expecting a spectacular article about BCG after all of this. If he isn't pleased with it, he says he holds the right to fire you."

The red head nodded, and said, "Temari wants us to meet her at her house in Konoha." Then he peered around Kankuro and saw Sakura and Sai. "What are those two doing here?"

Kankuro fidgeted, and said, "Well, Sakura is Naruto's friend, and wants to come with us, and Sai," Kankuro glowered, "Sai says that he feels somewhat responsible for this whole thing, and wants to come along, too. Says that he'll be useful."

Gaara sighed, and said, "Fine, we'll go in my car, then. It has more room than your Mustang." Kankuro pouted, and Gaara glared at him, "This isn't the time to show off your driving skills to Sakura."

"Fine," Kankuro groused.

The red head walked by him, and said to Sakura and Sai, "If you're coming along, then you'll be riding with me."

* * *

><p>Kankuro was in the driver's seat when they parked outside of Temari's house. Gaara had been the driver, but then Kankuro forced him into the passenger's seat at a gas station because he 'wasn't focusing on the road.'<p>

Temari's house was plain. There were no gardens outside, or any ornamentation on their porch, except for a porch swing, but that had come with the house. The house was two-stories, beige, and had a red-brown tiled roof.

They clambered out of the car, and Gaara made a beeline to the house, while Sakura and Sai stretched their cramped muscles. Kankuro was right behind the red head.

They entered the house, and Kankuro hollered, "Temari! Shikamaru! Where are you?"

"In the kitchen!" Temari hollered back.

Sakura and Sai entered the house behind them, and they headed to the kitchen at the back of the house.

Gaara paused as he entered the large kitchen, and looked at the other five people there besides Shikamaru and Temari, who were sitting at the head of the table. Two of the five were sitting at the table, next to each other, while the other three stood off to the side, one of them leaning on the wall behind him.

"Who are all these people?" he asked.

"These are Shikamaru's and Naruto's friends, along with Naruto's godmother, and ... godfather?" Temari asked, hesitant.

The white haired man sitting at the table snickered, while the light blond woman, Gaara assumed she was Tsunade, smacked him. "No," she said, dusting her hands. "This man in _not_ Naruto's godfather. More like a bad uncle that teaches him things he shouldn't."

"What? He was already looking at pornos when he was twelve! Although, he said that they were for research," the man muttered.

"And where have I heard that?"

"B-But, he cross dresses! Of course he needs to look at pornos to be a good cross dresser."

"No, he doesn't. I've given him plenty of women's magazines to help him, if he wants to cross dress as a proper woman."

"But he's trying to attract the male gaze. The only thing those do is help women be themselves, the pornos are meant only for the male gaze, and that was vital for Naruto's research," the man argued.

"Enough!" Temari yelled, "Tsunade, Jiraiya, if you don't stop bickering, I will kick you out! We're trying to rescue your godson, and you're just arguing! Shikamaru can't think up a plan in all of this ruckus."

"Of course I ca-" Temari's hand slapped over Shikamaru's.

"If you say anything," she hissed, "You will be sleeping on the couch."

"Jeez, Temari, you're only two months pregnant, and you're already being a bitch," Kankuro said, grinning, until her pen hit him.

"What is it with you two and pens," Kankuro muttered, as he sat down at the kitchen table.

"All right, introductions are in order. Shikamaru, since you know everyone, please introduce everyone."

"Wha-? Fine, fine," Shikamaru grumbled. "Okay, so you guys know Tsunade and Jiraiya, so we have Lee, the black, bowl-haired man; Neji, the brown, long-haired man, TenTen, the brown, bun-haired woman; Sakura, the pink-haired woman; and... Sai? Wait a minute what's Sai doing here? He's from the Root division of the Konoha police, and what's Sakura doing here, too?"

"Sakura and Sai are reporters at _The Suna Times_," Gaara said.

"They wanted to come along," Kankuro added. "I didn't understand why Sai wanted to come along, but I guess it makes sense, now."

"What are they doing here, though?" Gaara asked, gesturing towards Lee, Neji, and TenTen.

"They're here to help us retrieve Naruto," Shikamaru explained. "TenTen's already done police work in hostage situations because her aim is perfect, and she doesn't use loud weapons. Her specialties are kunai and shuriken. Neji and Lee are good in combative situations, as Neji has an almost perfect defense, and Lee is a good offensive. They are all members of the Konoha dojo. I'm guessing Sai has some experience in weaponry as well, and he'll be useful.

"We don't want the police to get into this, because they'll be more interested in getting BCG, rather than rescuing Naruto, which is why I gathered these guys. They like Naruto."

"What about Uchiha Sasuke?" Gaara asked, "He wouldn't let something like an argument stop him from saving a friend?"

"No, he wouldn't, especially since this is BCG; he would come even if it wasn't Naruto," Shikamaru sighed. "He's out of town, talking to a big time sponsor."

Gaara nodded, and then asked, "What did the cryptic message Naruto send Temari mean?"

Temari smiled, and turned the laptop in front of Shikamaru around so that everyone else saw what was on it.

He frowned at the odd picture, and then realized that it was an animated show, "How does this help us?"

"Well, Naruto said to remember the night we had with the Avatar at the ice mango bar, right? Well, Avatar means _Avatar: the Last Airbender_, and there's only one setting where an ice mango drink thing is made, and it's here," she said, clicking on the laptop so that the show would play.

They watched it, and then Gaara asked, "What did you guys figure out from that?"

"Well," Shikamaru said, getting out a notepad. "I figure that Naruto was referring to the scenery around the bar. I'm sure you could probably find a million run down looking bars in Suna, but it's a rare place that would have an iceberg in the sand."

"It's impossible," Gaara said.

"Yeah," Shikamaru said, rubbing his finger on the side of his head. "It's impossible in this world, but I don't think Naruto was meaning that he was taken to a place with an iceberg in the sand, I think he meant that it's an oasis, or that it used to be an oasis. Given the fact that Naruto doesn't actually know the Suna landscape all that well, I'm going to say that he actually means there is an oasis where he's been taken. On top of that, you said there was little cell phone signal in that area?" Shikamaru grinned, and cracked his fingers before turning the laptop back towards himself.

"I'm going to start looking up any areas that could have those specifications, Lee, Neji, TenTen, and Sai, why don't you guys go practice or warm-up, whatever you need to do to be of assistance. Tsunade, Jiraiya, you guys go and try to get the million dollars. I know the banks will be troublesome in that aspect. Just get as much as you can, it's my plan B, for now. Temari, go get your laptop, and the extra one. You'll look up everything we know about BCG, and Gaara, look up the abandon shoe factory, and see about the layout, too, if we can't find out where Naruto is being kept, we'll need to have a plan for rescuing him at the abandon shoe factory."

"What about Sakura and me?" Kankuro asked.

"Kankuro, you'll help me find this place. Sakura," Shikamaru frowned and looked at her thoughtfully. "You used to be a pre-med student, right? Do you still remember your studies?"

"All of it," Sakura said, with a nod. "I kept up with my studies, even after I became a reporter."

"Hey, why'd you stop being a pre-med student anyway?" Kankuro asked. "You seemed to really like being a doctor."

Sakura gave him a cheerless smile, "I do whatever the boys need me to do."

"'Boys'?"

"Naruto and Sasuke," Shikamaru said. "Now get over here, Kankuro. Sakura, you go gather whatever you think you might need to help us." He tossed her a key, "There's a closet upstairs that's filled with all sorts of medical stuff that you might need."

Kankuro moved over to Shikamaru frowning, "What do you do that requires you having a closet full of medical things?"

Shikamaru grinned, and said, "If I told you, I'd have to kill you."

Temari smacked him on the head, and said, "If you kill him, I'll kill you, and if you kill Gaara, I will torture you until you wish you were dead."

"Temari! You're so mean! You'd torture him for Gaara, but not for me? I see where all your love goes."

"And I'm her husband, you'd think she'd at least have some love for me," Shikamaru grumbled.

She smiled, leaned down, and kissed Shikamaru's cheek, "Of course I love you, or I wouldn't be having your baby." Then she stood up, and went to get the laptops.

"Gaara, what do you know of BCG so far?" Shikamaru asked while typing on his computer.

"Nothing much," Gaara said with a frown. "I only know that there are two men who are in charge, and they're powerful."

"Of course they're powerful," Kankuro groused. "If they weren't, they would have been killed by their underlings a long time ago."

"No, that's not it. I mean, they're unnatural in how powerful they are. Take it this way, Kankuro. Naruto said that he was a strong fighter, and I don't doubt that, but they managed to capture him. Which means they either ambushed him, or only one of them captured, and overpowered him."

Kankuro winced, "I remembered when he tackled me when I came over to your house. It felt like a hundred pounds had slammed into me."

"Right, and that's not even with him using what skills he knows."

It was quiet for a moment, and then Gaara's cell phone rang.

He cursed when he saw the caller ID, and said, "Hello?"

"Gaara," the man hissed. "I want the money, tonight. Bring it to the abandoned shoe factory in the North part of Suna by six, or you can say goodbye to Naruto forever."

"Wait, why is the deadline moved forward? Do you know how hard it is to get that much money?"

"Your friend, here," there was a scream in the background, "has made quite a nuisance of himself. In fact, it might be cheaper just to call off the ransom, but I want compensation."

There was a click, and Gaara shut the phone. He gripped it tightly, then said, "They're moving the meeting time to six tonight."

Shikamaru sighed, and said, "I really need a cigar."

"No smoking in the house," Temari said, as she came into the room. "What's wrong?"

"They moved the time up to six. That means we have to have a plan created by four, I'd prefer three, and it's already noon. We don't have much time, so get to work everyone."

Gaara took the extra laptop, and started to run a search on the abandoned shoe factory, but all he got was links to anything except the shoe factory he was looking for. It took him a moment, but then it hit him why the abandoned shoe factory seemed so familiar.

He called Brittany. It took him a minute to get her to give up the address, and then she cracked. She said that it was dangerous, that if he went there, he would get hurt. Gaara smiled, and told her that he wouldn't get hurt before hanging up the phone, and checking out what links the address pulled up, ignoring Kankuro's and Temari's stares.

"Kankuro, go tell everyone about the change in time. I'll get Temari and Gaara to help me with the landscape," Shikamaru said.

His brother grumbled, but went ahead and did what he was asked.

Gaara found an image of the abandoned factory's layout, and scooted the laptop over to the brunette, before replacing Kankuro's spot. He looked around Shikamaru, and watched as the brunette used a satellite camera with an ease of familiarity. The image was much clearer than what most people got on their computers.

"Is this something you get from the job that you 'can't tell us or you would have to kill us'?" Gaara asked him.

Shikamaru gave Gaara a short grin, and nodded, "Yeah, but I wouldn't have to kill you for knowing. They don't care if I tell people I'm with the FBI, I'm just trying to get back at Kankuro for all the horrible things he put me through when I was dating your sister."

Gaara nodded, and then pointed at the screen, "Doesn't that look like the animated landscape? The water in the oasis isn't as clear or beautiful, but the area surrounding it matches."

The brunette glanced back at the computer screen, and zoomed in for a closer look and nodded, "Yeah, that looks about right."

Shikamaru grabbed his pen, and the red head watched as he began to outline the area, and started taking notes of the layout, and of the building that Naruto was most likely in.

"While the satellite image can zoom in closer than the one that Google gives the general public, it still won't give us images of people, which is really annoying during situations like this," Shikamaru grumbled.

"Some genius you are," Kankuro said. "You can't even hack into a satellite and get better info."

Shikamaru shrugged, "I'm not a computer genius, I'm a strategy genius, and that's what we need now, more than we need someone to get us a better satellite image."

Kankuro harrumphed, and sat with a flop next to Temari, who hit him on the head, which instigated a heated verbal war between the two.

Gaara watched as Shikamaru created facial images of everyone who would be coming with him, and frowned when he didn't see his picture when the brunette lifted the pen off the page.

"I'm coming, too," Gaara said, giving the strategist a resolved look.

Shikamaru sighed, and said, "Fine. This is so troublesome, you'll have to stay off to the side, I can't risk making my wife a murderer, not with a baby on the way."

Gaara frowned at him, "BCG said that I was to bring in the ransom, if you needed a distraction, I could go in with the money. They'd be caught off guard because I was bringing in the money like they asked, but it won't be until it's too late that they'll realize that it's at the wrong place."

The brunette rubbed his chin, "We'll see. It's a good idea, but it really depends on what the situation is."

"Gaa-" Temari said, but was interrupted when a loud voices came from the door.

They turned as Jiraiya and Tsunade came through, squabbling with each other.

"You just had to stop at the bookstore, and now look what happened! They moved the time up on Naruto. I'm going to kill you if Naruto is taken away," Tsunade said, her voice loud, but not quite a yell.

Shikamaru frowned at Tsunade, "How do you know that they're not going to kill Naruto?"

Tsunade looked at the brunette, and said, "Didn't Naruto say that BCG wasn't going to kill him?"

"Yes, but I thought that was just a ruse, you know, so we wouldn't worry that he'd die, besides, he gave us information to find him."

"Oh, I guess I could see what you mean there," Tsunade said. "They won't kill him, though. They, um," she looked at Jiraiya, who shrugged. "They'll just take him far away, and torture him for the rest of his life until he dies there," she said, her face blank.

Gaara narrowed his eyes at them, but Temari let out a squeak of amazement when she opened the duffel bags Tsunade and Jiraiya had carried in.

"I've never seen so much money in my entire life," she breathed, looking into the bags.

Tsunade swatted her hand away, "And you'll never want to see that much money in your entire life, either. The only time you carry around large amounts of money, is when it's for a ransom, or when you're going to gamble it all away." Her fingers started twitching at the mention of gambling, and she stared at them with a sigh.

Gaara walked over to her, hesitated, then touched her shoulder. Then, to reassure himself more than the woman, he said, "We'll get him back, you shouldn't gamble just to know when bad things are going to happen. Isn't it better to not know, and believe you can change the course of fate?"

Tsunade looked at him, "Maybe, but I'd rather be prepared that bad things are going to happen, than have it hit me unknowingly." Then a suspicious look crossed her face, "Has Naruto been talking about me to you? I'm going to kill that brat!"

"It was only once, which is better than what I'm going through," Gaara said, glaring at Temari.

"H-Hey, he's the one who's always calling me, and we barter. I'll answer a question of his, if he answers a question of mine," Temari said with a wary look.

"Can we focus," Shikamaru growled. "We've only got a few more hours, and I only have three back up plans so far."

"How many back up plans do you need before you're happy," Kankuro asked.

"More than a hundred, but I'll take ten, for now."

"You can create more than a hundred different plans for just one mission?"

"Yes, when one thing is different from another plan, that makes it a completely new plan. The addition of multiple people changes how plans will work out. Different people have different goals, it helps when they're focused on one goal, but, even then, people have different ways of going about to make that goal happen. I'm kind of glad Sasuke isn't here, his goal would be BCG, not Naruto. We also don't know the enemies strength, so I need plans for anything that could happen."

"Even if one or two of the enemies have powers that shouldn't be possible in this world?" Jiraiya asked, with a casual glance.

Shikamaru frowned, "I'm not Sherlock Holmes, I don't believe that there are powers outside this world." He glanced at his notes, and started to write something down, giving Jiraiya suspicious looks every once in a while.

"What do you mean about that, Jiraiya?" Temari asked.

"Well, pretty lady," he yelped when she knocked him on the head with her fist.

"The 'pretty lady' is pregnant with that man's baby," she pointed at Shikamaru. "So, you better behave, or you might go home one night, and never leave it again."

"Like I was saying, Temari," Jiraiya said her name with emphasis. "That anything is possible, and you never know when the impossible will be possible. It's been thought that no gang would be able to survive for more than a few years, and, yet, BCG has been around for over thirty years, and there's been no change in leadership. Make what you will of that."

"How do you know there's been no change in leadership?" Shikamaru asked.

"Everything they've done is similar to things they've done before. Similar, but not the same, so they aren't copycat gang members, they're the real deal, with the same people in charge."

"They could have been trained by the old leaders."

Jiraiya shook his head, "No, even then, there would be a different signature to what they do. The signatures haven't changed."

Shikamaru sighed, and said, "Right."

Everyone watched as he started jotting down more things on his notepad. Jiraiya left, then, to check out how the rescue team was doing, and to get some practice in as well, as he demanded to come with them to save Naruto. Tsunade went to help Sakura pack up medical paraphernalia.

The only people left in the room were the siblings, and the in-law.

"Gaara," Temari began.

Shikamaru looked up and said, "Why don't you guys talk in the living room. I can do this even when you guys are yelling, but I won't be able to focus."

Temari paused, and then nodded, before grabbing Gaara, and dragging him out to the living room, with Kankuro following behind.

"Temari?" Gaara asked her when she just stood in the living room, looking out the window.

She turned, and said, "Gaara, I don't want you to go. I know Naruto is your friend, your first friend, but it's dangerous, and I won't be able to help you."

The red head watched her, and said, "I have to go, Temari, because he's my friend. I don't want to lose him, not now."

"I don't want to lose _you_!" Temari yelled. "Do you know how hard it's been? I was nine years old, Gaara, when I found you, bleeding on the kitchen floor. Nine! I promised myself that night, that I would protect you, and I can't do that if you try to save Naruto!"

Gaara looked at her, and said, "I'm not that boy. I have something I want to protect, and I don't think I would want to live if I lost him."

Their eyes locked for a moment, and, with a quiet voice, Gaara said, "Thank you, for not giving up on me. It took me a long time to realize you, both of you, cared for me, that it wasn't just guilt, but I have to do this because Naruto, he understood my pain, and he needs me."

"Do you have to go?"

"Temari," Kankuro said. "I think he does, but don't worry, if something happens, we can always skin the blond alive in our basement."

Temari looked over at Kankuro, and said, "Promise?"

"Promise," he nodded, and then they laughed.

"If you skin Naruto alive, I'll disown you," Gaara said. "If I'm not alive, I will haunt you two until you either go crazy or die."

Temari and Kankuro laughed together, and then they leaned into each other, and started to whisper while looking at Gaara, smug grins on their faces.

"Oi, are you two done messing with Gaara?" Shikamaru asked as he came through the awning to the living room, the rest of their guests behind them.

"Did you get your hundred plus strategies, Shika?" Kankuro taunted.

"No, but I got more than fifty," he said, effectively shutting the man up. "We're getting ready to head out, Temari, so we need your brother, if he's still coming along?"

"I'm coming," he said.

"Good, now Gaara, you're going to take your own car, and the rest of these guys are riding in my suburban. You only need to know one or two things about the plan, and I'll tell you them when we reach our destination," Shikamaru said.

"Why can't he know the rest of the plan?" Temari asked, her hands on her hips.

"Because, if he gets capture, if," he emphasized when his wife glowered at him. "Then he can't know anything, just in case. It's to protect him."

Temari sighed, "Fine."

"Don't worry, Temari, I'm not going, either, even if I'm a better fighter than Jiraiya," Tsunade said with a chuckle.

"Why _aren't_ you going?" his sister asked.

"I'm a far more important member of this community than Jiraiya is. If I got killed by BCG trying to save Naruto, the community would just reject my godson even more. They never did like me taking him in," Tsunade said, with remorse.

"We're wasting daylight, which isn't good for Naruto, let's go," Shikamaru said, shuffling them out, and giving Temari a quick peck on the lips before walking out to his car.

"Be careful, Gaara," Temari said, holding him back.

"Don't worry, Temari, they can't kill him, either," Tsunade said.

"What?" Temari frowned at her.

"I thought the information would ease your worry," Tsunade said with a shrug.

"Why can't they kill me?" Gaara asked, suspicion on his face.

"Because you're like Naruto."

* * *

><p>AN:

This was fun, and hard at the same time. Fun, because of Kankuro and Shikamaru jabbing each other, and Temari adding fuel to the fire. Hard because, ugh, so many people! I feel bad, I didn't get the rest of the characters to say much. ;_; I kind of just kicked them out, but don't worry! They'll talk in the next chapter (I hope...). I'm sorry, too! I didn't mean to give you Naruto, and then just snatch him away!

I probably don't say this enough, but thank you to everyone who continues to read this! It means a lot that I've created a story that captures your attention!

Also, if you're underaged, do not read porn, I'm not supporting that by having a 12 year old Naruto read them.

Furthermore, in the next chapter, um, there's going to be some strange things going on, that shouldn't be possible in this world, hahaha, I hope I hinted on that enough times. Yes, I've had that planned since I started writing this, maybe not in the very first rough draft that never even finished because I started the second draft and it took a completely different turn from my rough, partly because of what's going to happen in the next chapter, and later on.

If you're interested in _what_ is going on, you can check out my second fanfiction story, I'm With You. I'll be posting the prologue and first chapter up sometime between now, and when Chapter 12 is published. You don't have to read it, though. Other than the next chapter, and two other chapters having the strange thing going on, this story can be read by itself. If you really don't want to read the other story, just PM me, and I'll tell you what's going on, after the next chapter (If I tell you before, it wouldn't be any fun. =) )


	12. Chapter 12: Bloody Cloud Gang

**Title**: Iris

**Author**: LadySable (LJ)/StoryBard(here)

**Pairings**: GaaNaruGaa

**Rating**: T

**WARNING**: This story has heterosexuality and homosexuality. If either offend you, this is not the story for you. Also, some foul language. Blame Hidan. Some graphic medical scenes?

**Disclaimer**: Characters are property of Masashi Kishimoto.

**Summary**: AU/AR Gaara adopts a pet unlike any other.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 12: Bloody Cloud Gang<strong>

"Neji, I need you to get as close as you can, and check out the situation," Shikamaru said, leaning against one of the two houses that they were between.

Neji nodded, and then disappeared around the house, heading towards the bar that Naruto was held in.

Shikamaru moved to watch Neji while the rest of them stayed as they were, waiting for Shikamaru to give them orders. Gaara leaned up against the building farthest away from the bar, facing the direction that Naruto would be in, observing Shikamaru as he ordered each member about.

This was a different Shikamaru than he was used to. The Shikamaru he knew would lay on the lawn outside Temari's house, and sigh with longing at the sky, until Temari came and tackled him, and they would roll around on the lawn together, laughing. He'd watched it with a scientific kind of observation, unable to understand their amusement, and play.

The rest of the group was silent until the long haired Neji came back, and said, "It's not good. For some reason, even though we aren't meeting them here, they're guarding Naruto closely. Naruto is in the middle, one man-he has silver hair, shoulder length, and has a scythe-like weapon-is positioned in the northern part of the building. Another man-wearing a hood, his eyes glow strangely-is positioned in the West, in front of the door. He's glaring at the silver haired man. There's-I think there's another man, but he's in the shadows of the bar, positioned in the East, and completely cloaked in black, there's not even eye holes, which is why I'm not sure if it's the shadows playing with my eyes, or if there really is a man there."

Jiraiya sighed, "There's a man there. Shikamaru," he said, his gaze intent on the brunette. "I'll take care of the cloaked man. The rest of you," his gaze fell on everyone, including Gaara. "Be careful of the other two. They can do things that shouldn't be possible. If you attack them, attack with the intent to kill because you won't win against them without trying to kill them." Then he muttered, his voice so soft that only Gaara could hear him, "And even then, you probably won't win."

He gave the white haired man a confused glance, but the man just returned it with a grim look. Then he turned back to the group, and watched as Shikamaru talked to Neji, Sai, TenTen, and nodded whenever Shikamaru said something, and then TenTen did a handspring backwards, and was gone.

"What's TenTen doing?" Gaara asked.

Shikamaru looked over at him, and said, "She's going to check out the situation, and see what else she can add that'll help us. She's helped out in hostage situations before, so she'll give me information that'll help me figure out what will be the best course of action." Shikamaru looked down, and sighed, before meeting Gaara's gaze, "It's highly probably that I'm going to need the distraction that you'll provide."

Gaara nodded, and shuffled around the two duffle bags by his feet.

A few minutes later, TenTen returned, and shook her head. "It's really strange," she said, looking in the direction that Naruto was in. "You'd think they were expecting someone to come after them. It almost feels like a trap, a setup, but, Shikamaru, you only learned of this building a few hours ago, so I don't see how they could expect it."

"They're just being very careful," Jiraiya said, stretching. "It's not that they're expecting an attack, they're just overestimating us, or Naruto."

Shikamaru scoffed, "It's nice, not being underestimated, but, man, it's much less troublesome when they do."

"Banish those un-youthful thoughts! They're challenging us! Challenges are youthful!" Lee said, his bandaged fist clenched.

"Only when you're sure everyone will come out alive, Lee, but this is reality, and Naruto wasn't looking good in there," Neji said.

"How is he?" Gaara asked.

Neji gave him a glance, pearl-like eyes thoughtful, and said, "He's not dead, but I'd be surprised if he didn't have a few broken bones. This will really hurt him at the sparring competition next month." Then he shrugged, "Naruto is the fastest healer, though. It's almost uncanny how fast he can get out of a hospital, even when he shouldn't be able to move."

Gaara nodded, remembering how Naruto had sported a black eye for maybe three days, while the bruise on his cheek hadn't faded for a week.

"All right, Gaara," Shikamaru said. "We're going to need you to be the distraction." He sighed, and then said, "Just don't get yourself hurt or killed. I really don't want my wife to be a murderer, and for our kid to have a mom in jail, okay?"

The red head gave him an indignant look, but nodded.

"Right, so when you see the first mirror reflection, that means they're in position, and that you should enter. Knock first, though. We don't want them to kill you just because you were entering without making yourself announced. If you see a second mirror reflection, get the hell out of there." Shikamaru leveled his gaze on Gaara's, and said, "I don't care if someone is about to kill Naruto, and that you're the closest person to save him, if you see that light, get the hell out of there, because if you don't, neither of you will survive."

Gaara frowned at him, "What in the world do you have planned that I would have to retreat that quickly?"

Shikamaru gave him a grim smile, and said, "You don't want to know, and, personally, I hope you don't find out."

Shikamaru gave Neji, TenTen, Lee, Sai, and Jiraiya a short nod, and the five disappeared, then he turned to Gaara and said, "In a few minutes, head to the building Naruto's in, but wait for the signal before entering."

He nodded, and, headed towards the bar when Shikamaru sliced the air with a finger after a minute.

The duffel bags swung awkwardly from his shoulders, and he walked with a swaying gait, trying to keep balanced. Money had never been a heavy burden before.

When he was only a few feet away from the door, he looked around, trying to spy a glinting mirror. It didn't take him long to see the mirror flashing from the roof. He swayed for a moment, and then headed towards the door.

He gave the door a short knock, and then opened it, only to freeze, when he noticed the tip of the scythe an inch from his neck. This man wasn't supposed to be by this entrance, what happened to the glowing-eye man?

The man in front of him chuckled, and then backed away, and said, "Oi, Kakuzu, your money is here."

He shuffled Gaara in before the red head or Kakuzu could say anything. For a moment, everything died away as he stared at Naruto.

The blond was tied to a chair, his head hanging low, blood dotted in his blond hair, on the floor, and on his clothes. The shoulder straps slid from his shoulder, and the duffel bags landed with a thud. He took a step forward, but was stopped by the man with the glowing green eyes.

The eyes weren't focused on him, though, they were trained on the silver haired man.

"How do you know he even has the money? You idiot, he could have brought in a bomb, and killed all of us in a second."

"He's here to get the blond, why would he bring in a bomb?" the other man said, crouching down, and unzipping the duffel. He held up a wad of cash, "See? Money. Don't tell me you don't like money anymore?"

The glowing eyed man growled. "Hidan," he warned.

"Fine, fine," the silver haired man said, raising his hands, gesturing for Kakuzu to back away.

Kakuzu grabbed Gaara's shoulders roughly, and eyed him up and down. The red head had a feeling the man was grinning, but couldn't tell because of the dark mask covering his mouth.

"Well," Hidan said. "I guess this takes care of our mission here. We got ourselves two boys, without even breaking a swe-"

"Shut up!" Kakuzu yelled at the silver haired man.

"Greedy little Kakuzu's getting all paranoid," he chanted. Then he smiled, and leaned back against the wall. "Really, I don't understand why you're so paranoid. It's not like they can hurt us. Compared to other places, this place is extremely weak."

Kakuzu let go of Gaara, and stalked over to Hidan, and hissed, "Keep talking, and I will kill you."

"Aww, and then you'll be my nurse, and patch me up," Hidan teased.

Gaara ignored them, and rushed over to Naruto, only for the cloaked man to step into his path. He frowned, and took a step back, eyeing the man. There was a familiarity in the man's stance, and build, but Gaara ignored it, trying to move around the man, only for the masked man to get in his way each time.

He growled in frustration, only to blink in surprise when he saw TenTen come up behind Naruto, and grabbed him, before disappearing up into the attic.

It took a second, but then there was a yell, "Where the fuck did the blond brat go?"

He didn't even have to look to see that it was Hidan yelling. The cloaked man in front of him didn't glance back, but did pause when Jiraiya dropped from the ceiling, almost getting a kick in on the cloaked man, but, for some reason, it didn't connect.

"Gaara!" Jiraiya yelled, "Get out of here! Oh, and pick up the money, too, Tsunade won't be happy to lose that much money through sheer carelessness."

He nodded, and turned around, only to be blocked by Hidan.

The silver haired man tsked at them, and said, "Not today, Jiraiya. You're by yourself, and there are three of us, and we have more experience. Well, except for the little shadow over here. He's a bab-"

Something hit Hidan, but Gaara couldn't see what it was. He took the moment to duck around the silver haired man, and was almost out the door, when Kakuzu shut it in front of him, barring the way. Gaara growled in frustration, but then Neji and TenTen dropped from the ceiling. Neji landed a kick on the man, while one of TenTen's shurikens hit him.

Kakuzu didn't even flinch, instead, he punched them both, causing both fighters to grasp their stomachs in pain. Neji ignored it, and tried to land another kick on Kakuzu, but the man dodged it. TenTen attacked from the other direction, while Neji backed up a little, trying to draw the man away from the door.

"Gaara! Watch out!" Sai yelled, and Gaara ducked instinctively, but hissed as his shoulder was nicked by the blade.

He turned, and saw Hidan sticking his tongue out to lick the blood, when the scythe was knocked out of Hidan's grasp.

"Don't let Hidan get your blood," Jiraiya yelled, as he dodged an attack made by the cloaked man. "You'll die if he ingests it."

"Wouldn't that have been nice to know earlier?" Neji said.

"That's un-youthful, Neji! The fight is uneven then!"

"It's called staying alive," Neji muttered as he ducked an attack from Kakuzu.

"I think you're getting a little too chatty for me," the man said. "We're going too easy on them, Hidan."

Hidan licked his lips, and nodded. "Far too easy if they're chatting like this," he said as he easily dodged an attack from Lee, grabbing the man's ankle, and swinging him into the wall. Gaara winced as he heard a crack, unsure if it was Lee's body, or the wall.

"And we need to get Naruto back from wherever this little miss stashed him," Kakuzu said, as he sliced his forearm against TenTen's right hand. She glared at him, and pilfered a shuriken from off the floor, and ran at the man.

Lee got up from where he'd fallen on the ground, and grabbed Hidan's hand, dragging the silver haired man into a kick, then he did a backflip, getting away from Hidan's counterattack, before heading towards TenTen, whose attack had failed, and was hit by Kakuzu's forearm, hard enough that she was knocked into a pile of tables and chairs to the south of the building. Lee was just in time to save her from getting crushed by Kakuzu's arm. However, he wasn't able to dodge Kakuzu's punch to his gut. Lee gasped, spitting up blood, his eyes turning blank. Kakuzu backed away and frowned when Lee remained standing.

There was a scream from the other side, and Gaara turned to look only to see Neji bleeding profusely from his stomach. His eyes widened as he saw Hidan standing in a strange ring, licking his lips, even while he had his scythe cutting into his stomach. His face looked like a skeletal image, not quite real, and yet real enough that it couldn't be mistaken for a Halloween mask.

He watched as Hidan pulled the scythe out of his stomach, and then used it to cut into his skin, and turned to look at Neji, only to see the same cut appearing on his skin.

"What the hell are you guys?" he whispered, unaware that he'd asked it.

The two men gave savage grins, and said, "Monsters."

Kakuzu picked TenTen up by the front of her shirt, and asked, "Where did you take Naruto?" TenTen groaned, but didn't open her eyes. He hissed, and tossed her out of the way.

Gaara took a step backwards, and then froze when Kakuzu turned towards his, his eyes narrow, and glowing with a quiet fury.

The red head backed up, trying to get more distance between himself and the man, but tripped over the money bags. He gained his balance before he fell to the floor, but it was too late. The glowing green eyed man was in front of him, and he had his arm pulled back. Gaara eyes widened, and he tried to step back, but he was too slow, and his eyes closed as he tried to prepare himself for the pain.

When he felt nothing, he opened his eyes to see the masked man holding Kakuzu's punch.

"_Midnight_," Kakuzu hissed. "What are you doing?"

"You were about to kill him," the cloaked man said. "That would destroy our mission."

For a moment, all Gaara could do was watch the two men, and then he turned to look over at Hidan who was lifting his scythe, sweeping it down to cut his wrist off.

"This is the police! We have you surrounded, put your weapons down, or we will not hesitate to shoot!"

Hidan paused, and then began to cut down again, but Kakuzu hissed, "Hidan, you idiot, stop. We already have more than enough attention as BCG, I don't want anyone else breathing down our necks."

The silver haired man, turned and yelled, "Damn it, Kakuzu! You fucking said I could kill this time! Do you know how weak this world has made me? I wouldn't be surprised if Jashin turned his back on me!"

"I'll let you kill someone later, right now we need to get away, unless you want to watch yourself being dissected?" Kakuzu chuckled. "I wonder how that would feel, having a slim blade cutting through your skin-"

"I get it," Hidan hissed, and moved himself out of the ring. Neji dropped to his knees, and the silver haired man sniffed, "Lucky."

"Come on, Hidan," Kakuzu said, and then they disappeared.

Gaara looked around, and saw TenTen was unconscious, and Lee ... Lee was still standing, but looking at him was painful. The man had a blank look in his eyes that didn't seem natural. Neji was unconscious from blood loss, and Sai ... Sai was checking on Jiraiya, who was sitting on the ground in the back of the bar, his right leg bent, with his arm propped up on it. He was laughing while Sai looked like a stern teacher. He could only catch wisps of their conversations, but from what he gathered, Sai was admonishing Jiraiya for taking on such a strong man by himself.

Then they were bombarded by the police.

One of them, a woman, came over to Gaara, and asked, "What's going on? Where's BCG?"

He blinked at her, and said, "They just left. One minute they were here, the next they were gone."

Jiraiya was next to him, and said, "How can I help a beautiful lady like yourself, Ms...?"

The woman frowned at him, and said, "If you say anything more, I'll file you for sexual harassment. Now, I'd like to know what's going on. How did they disappear? We have this building surrounded, and from what Sai said, you guys aren't with BCG."

Jiraiya laughed, but without amusement, "There was a trapdoor and they used it to get away."

"A trapdoor? Where? Do you know where it leads to? We can send a team there to catch them," the woman said.

"Yes. Behind the bar. No, I don't," Jiraiya gave her an amiable smile. "I believe I answered all of your questions?"

"Yes, yes," she said, waving him off, and going over to the bar, she hopped over it, and started to search for the trapdoor.

"Why did you lie?" Gaara muttered to Jiraiya in a low voice.

"Somewhat for the same reason they left, we have to keep this world as normal as possible, and if they learn those guys had powers that shouldn't be possible, we'll get a lot of backdraft as well," Jiraiya muttered back.

Gaara frowned at him, trying to figure out if there was a coded message in what Jiraiya said that couldn't be said in front of the police.

They looked over, when Sakura pushed her way through the officers in the doorway. "Let me through," she yelled. "I know some first aid, so let me help those who need it!"

Jiraiya went over and helped her through, and Gaara heard her mutter, "Jerks," as she passed by him to get to Neji, who looked to be in the most need of help.

He followed her, and asked, "How is Naruto?"

"Shush! Can't you see I'm working," she glared at Gaara as she got out the instruments to stitch Neji's stomach together. "It's bad enough that it's been a while since I did this, but you're interrupting me, and the idiot police didn't bother to call for any ambulances until I demanded that they did, which was five minutes ago. Knowing ambulances, they won't be here for another twenty minutes," she muttered as she cleaned out the wound with water for three minutes, and then used a lighter to clean a needle before stitching up the wound.

When she finished, she checked Neji's wrist, before wrapping it to stop the bleeding. "Neji's uncle is not going to be happy about this," she muttered. "They have a little over a month to prepare for that practice spar, and it's almost as big of a thing as the tournament, and these wounds will hinder his practice. At least nothing's broken."

She stood up, and disposed the gloves she used for Neji in a small bag. Then she grabbed her medical kit, and headed over to Lee and TenTen. She looked at Lee, her expression was broken between pity and sorrow for the man. She motioned over a couple of the police officers to help her ease the man onto the floor, and then checked the man out. One of his legs was broken, and his insides had been scrambled from the punch.

Gaara shuddered, realizing that the cloaked man had saved him. If he had been hit by the punch, he wouldn't have survived it. It was only through luck that Lee's heart hadn't stopped.

Sakura moved over to TenTen. One of her fingers was broken, the middle one of her right hand, and the rest were cut up. She wouldn't be able to use her right hand for a good month.

Sakura stood up and disposed the pair of gloves on her hands. "This isn't good. The ambulances should've been here by now. These guys need more treatment than I can give them with my paltry skills. I can't set bones, and my stitches were terrible."

"How's Naruto?" Gaara asked, his voice calm.

She looked over at him, and swallowed, shaking off her nerves, and said, "He's got a lot of bruises and cuts, but the worst of it is an arm that's broken," her fingers twitched.

Gaara looked out the window, and said, "Maybe we should go and stand by him? I think I hear sirens, and we don't want them to cause more undue harm to Naruto." He knelt down to pick up the straps of the duffel bags with the money in it, and winced as the strap dug into the nick in his shoulder.

"Right," Sakura said, before pushing through the officers, clearing the way for Gaara.

By the time they got to Naruto, the ambulances were pulled up next to the police cars. He was still tied to the chair, causing Gaara to raise a brow at Sakura.

"I didn't know how much damage was done, and I'm not a professional in the medical industry. It was better to leave him as is, rather than untying him, and causing more damage. Besides, Naruto is heavy, and I wouldn't be able to get him safely to the ground without hurting him."

He nodded, and then asked, "What did you mean when you said you did 'whatever the boys need me to do?'"

She looked over at him, and gave a faint smile, "I meant what I said. If they need a medic, then I'll be a medic, and I'd be happy; I like being able to heal people. Yet, they didn't need me for that, they needed information on BCG more than they needed a medic, and the only other job besides being a detective that dealt in information is being a reporter, and, sometimes, we can find things out that the police can't, because they're the police."

Then she turned to face the medic that was coming this way from the ambulance. "Please be careful with him; he has a broken arm, and other injuries that could get worse." The medic nodded, and called over two of the other medics who were heading to the bar.

The other two held Naruto up, while the first medic unbounded the blond. Then they gently lifted the unconscious man off of the chair and placed him on the stretcher.

Gaara kept a careful watch on Naruto while the medics tended to him as well as they could outside of the hospital. They had to splint his right arm, as it was broken in two different places, and they wrapped his middle as well as they could without damaging his unconscious body. They stood up when they finished, and one of the female medics turned to him, and asked, "You're a friend of this man, yes?"

He nodded.

"Would you like to come with him in the ambulance?"

Gaara hesitated, and said, "I drove..."

"It's all good, Gaara, I'll drive your car to the hospital," Shikamaru said, as he ambled over to him. "Temari and Kankuro are coming to Suna, anyway, and Temari will drive back here so I can pick up my car."

He gave Shikamaru a grateful smile, and told himself to remember to do something nice for the brunette when he could.

The medics picked up the stretcher with Naruto in it and made their way over to the ambulance through the sand. Gaara hopped in, and sat next to one of the female medics. Then they closed the doors, and they were off to the hospital.

* * *

><p>Gaara fidgeted in the chair by Naruto's bed. The blond was dozing, now, after waking up from unconsciousness to get a full body x-ray.<p>

He had a broken arm, and multitudes of bruises and scratches. He had a wide cut on his head, and there were bandages wrapped around the top, almost creating a mummified image. His eyes had bags under them that were dark, and stood out against his pale tan. He looked like he had gotten into a fight with a bulldozer, and had lost. Gaara would almost prefer that to what had really happened. At least he would be able to understand how the bulldozer had managed to damage his friend, and it wouldn't have any hidden meanings to it, unlike the mystery that was surrounding BCG, and Naruto.

He glanced over at Neji, Naruto's roommate, wincing when he glanced at the bandages wrapped around his middle. From what he'd heard, the doctors had inspected Sakura's stitches, but decided to leave them as they were, and just disinfected the wound some more, making sure that Neji didn't get an infection. He didn't blame them. Neji's uncle had been furious when he'd heard his nephew was in the hospital, and was threatening to sue the hospital if he so much as had a cold when he left. If they left in Sakura's stitches, and he still got an infection, they could push the blame onto her, and get away from a lawsuit.

Yet, compared to Naruto, Neji looked fine, and his wound would heal faster than a broken arm.

Gaara turned when he heard Naruto moan, and scooted closer to the bed. He watched as the blond eyelashes fluttered, before finally opening to reveal blue eyes.

"Are you awake, now? Or are you going back to dozing?" he asked with, what he hoped, was amusement.

Naruto smiled, and then yawned. He tried to stretch, but winced as it pulled on his bruised muscles.

Then he looked down, "I can't believe I was knocked out during that whole battle. I really hope that whoever got Neji was actually strong, and not that he was ganged up on. If only I'd been conscious..."

"Naruto, you were better off unconscious. You wouldn't have been able to do anything if you were conscious, except make your injuries worse," Gaara said. "I was there, and conscious, but against these guys, not even you would be able to make the battle turn in our favor."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, for one, they could do things that shouldn't even be possible. The silver haired guy would cut himself, and the same wound appeared on Neji. I don't even know about the other guy. He didn't show any weird skills, except being stronger than he should be, but since he seemed like the one in charge, I'm sure he's got some skills that shouldn't be possible, too. Jiraiya went against the guy covered in black, and I didn't see what he could do, but I'm guessing he was equal with the man with the glowing green eyes," Gaara paused. "Jiraiya and Tsunade seem to have some idea as to what's going on, but I don't know what. She also said I was the same as you, and that we couldn't be killed by these guys." Gaara frowned, and looked at Naruto, "How did you know that they couldn't kill you, by the way?"

Naruto gave a nervous chuckle and looked down, "Uh, I pretended to be unconscious, and they were yelling at each other. Hidan just wanted to kill me, and get it over with, but Kakuzu, I think, said something about how I couldn't die, or their leader wouldn't be happy."

"Wait, they have a leader? They aren't the ones pulling the strings on the gang?"

Naruto paused, and said, "No, I think they are in charge of the gang. They said something about a group called Akatsuki, and that they're members of it, and that their boss in that group would be displeased. I get the feeling that the boss isn't around right now, or he wouldn't have allowed the Bloody Cloud Gang to be called that."

"If the leader's not around, then where is he? He must not have been here for over thirty years, so why would he even be interested in us? We weren't born then. You make it sound like this has been their goal this whole time."

The blond struggled to lift himself up for a minute, but got himself up straight with a little help from Gaara.

"Well," Naruto began, shrugging, "Hidan was complaining about how it'd taken them over forty years to finally get me, and that he was sick and tired of this 'world'."

"Forty years? Hidan must have a really good plastic surgeon, or these guys are defying the laws of physics," Gaara said, frowning at Naruto's snickering. "What? If they've been here for forty years, then Hidan would have to at least be fifty, or something, and yet, he looks twenty."

"I know!" Naruto said, and then he grabbed his middle, and said, "That hurt, I don't think I should laugh too much. It just seemed funny that Hidan had a plastic surgeon! From the way he acted, I don't think he'd give a damn if he was old and wrinkly. The only thing he cared about was Jashin, whoever that is, and he even cursed that guy."

The door to their room banged open, and they looked over to see Tsunade entering. She smiled at them, and glanced over at Neji before closing the door.

"Did you take care of Hiashi?" Naruto asked.

Tsunade frowned at him, and said, "That's Mr. Hyuuga to you, mister. How did you get kidnapped anyway?"

"U-Um," Naruto looked down. "I was running, and, um, they kind of stopped in front of me, and I was going to run around them, but before I got past them, Hidan stopped me, and asked me a question, I can't remember exactly what it was, but the next thing I knew, I was tied up to a chair in the back of a ... van? I'm guessing a van, 'cause it was kind of spacious."

Gaara stared at Naruto, who was fidgeting and looking away. He heard a sigh, and looked over at Tsunade whose eyes were closed, and her hand was positioned in such a way that it looked like she was trying to beat back a headache.

"Naruto ... I don't even know what to say. It was four in the morning, shouldn't you have been more suspicious of two shady men? You idiot," she sighed and sat down on the bed. "Oh, well, if you'd resisted you would have been hurt even more. So how did you see the landscape if you were tied up and blindfolded?"

"Well, I kind of somehow got them to stop and let me go to the bathroom, and while I was in the restroom, I used the wall to lift the blindfold just a smidgen."

"Did the cashier not even question you being tied up?"

"Kakuzu told him that they were filming an action movie, and that I really had to go to the bathroom, and the knot wouldn't untie, and they had to hurry. The cashier was an older man in his sixties, and he didn't care."

"Idiot."

Gaara wasn't sure if she was reiterating that Naruto was one, or if the cashier was the idiot.

"At least you're okay, for the most part," she said, looking him over. "The doctor says that you'll be able to leave today, you just have to be careful, and no practicing-or running-for the next three weeks."

"What?" Naruto yelped, and then clapped his hands over his mouth when Neji moaned.

"Do you want me to tell the hospital to strap you to the gurney for the next three weeks, or would you like to go back to Gaara's?"

"Gaara's," Naruto said with a meek voice.

"Then you can't do anything that'll harm your bones. You're lucky that you can heal faster than most people, but if you don't rest for a little while, then you can't leave."

"Mean," Naruto moaned.

"Of course," Tsunade said with a haughty voice. Then she threw a flier at him. He caught it with his left hand, and looked at it. "That's for the care and keeping of your cast. If I hear you do anything, _anything_ that hinders the healing process, then you won't get to go to the practice spar."

Naruto pouted, but nodded.

She tossed him some clothes, and said, "Now, go get dressed, and then you can go home."

Naruto grinned, and grabbed the clothes before hopping out of the bed, making his way to the bathroom.

Tsunade watched him, a little smile on her face, and then turned to Gaara, serious, "If he so much as lifts a grocery bag, call me, I'll get him back to the hospital before he can say ramen."

He nodded, and she said, "Thank you. He's not too much of a bother, is he?"

Gaara shook his head, "I like it, having him around. He's energetic, but he, he..."

"Doesn't make it as lonely?" Tsunade asked, and he nodded. "Yes, he's really good at that. Anyway, I have to go now. I was lucky to get away from my office for this long. Take care," she said, as she walked out of the room.

Naruto came out of the restroom, then, his street clothes on. He looked over at Neji, and frowned, "I think I need to get him a really awesome get well present, you know? And Lee..." Naruto looked down, troubled.

Gaara asked, "Are you ready to go home?" Hoping to change the direction of the blond's thoughts.

"Yeah! Let's go!" The blond smiled at him, and lead the way.

* * *

><p>Gaara was making Naruto a bowl of ramen when there was a knock at the door. The blond was in the shower, washing off the 'hospital smell,' so that left him to answer the door.<p>

The red head strode over to the door, and stopped before opening it. Then, he cautiously peeked through the peep hole, having never done so before. He frowned, then opened the door.

"Hello," Sai said with a blank smile and a short wave. Then he handed over a bag of cookies. "I just wanted to greet my new neighbors. I've heard that you give a friendly gift to neighbors as a sort of peace greeting."

Gaara stared at the bag of cookies, then reached up to take them, when a tanned hand grabbed them before he could. Naruto was behind him, dressed only in a white towel that was wrapped around his lower waist. "Thanks, Sai!" he said, and then shut the door.

"Cookie?" he asked, leaning the bag over to Gaara.

* * *

><p>AN:

Naruto! Why'd you have to get a broken arm? Now I have to go and rewrite everything. =P

Also, that's my first fight scene ... ever. So, if you have any suggestions on what I can do to improve them, please, feel free to tell me. Also, that was a curb stomp battle because there was no other way that battle would turn out.

If you're curious as to why Kakuzu and Hidan still have their powers, and who Midnight is, please check out my other story, I'm With You. This story ties in with I'm With You, but it can be read alone. Please don't think that I'm forcing you to read it. I would be a bad writer if I forced you to read anything, so if you really don't want to read it, then PM me, and I'll tell you a summary of what's going on here.

Thank you for being such great readers, and putting up with the strangeness!


	13. Chapter 13: Bodyguards and Bosses

**Title**: Iris

**Author**: LadySable (LJ)/StoryBard(here)

**Pairings**: GaaNaruGaa

**Rating**: T

**WARNING**: This story has heterosexuality and homosexuality. If either offend you, this is not the story for you.

**Disclaimer**: Characters are property of Masashi Kishimoto.

**Summary**: AU/AR Gaara adopts a pet unlike any other.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 13: Bodyguards and Bosses<strong>

"Gaara! Time to wake up!"

Gaara smiled slightly as he bounced up in his bed from the blond pouncing onto it.

"Ow," the blond said, and Gaara opened a bleary eye to look over at him. He frowned as he watched Naruto look at his arm in irritation, then he quickly shut his eyes, as the blond's gaze swept over to him.

He relaxed as Naruto's arm wrapped around his middle, and he nuzzled his head against his arm. "Gaara, come on, you got to wake up, it's already seven," the blond moaned, his voice muffled. "If you don't wake up, I'll have to go and try to lift your car."

Gaara opened his eye, and lifted a brow down at the blond.

Naruto sighed, and started to move away from the red head, but Gaara grabbed the blond's left arm before he could go much farther. "Don't you dare," Gaara hissed. "If you even _try_ it, I'll pack you off to Tsunade, and let her deal with you."

Naruto gave him a mischievous grin, and leaned close to Gaara, and said, "What are you going to do to stop me?"

Gaara opened his mouth, but was cut off, "Are you two a couple?"

He frowned and looked over Naruto's shoulder to see Sai in the doorway.

"What's he doing in here?" Gaara hissed to Naruto.

Naruto glared at the dark haired man, and said, "He told me that he was going to be my bodyguard until BCG gets locked up or goes away. He won't even give me a chance to say thanks, but no thanks."

"Naruto," Gaara said, "You have a broken arm. If BCG tries to capture you again, how are you going to stop them if you don't have some protection?"

The blond looked at him, and said, "What? You think a broken arm can stop me? My legs are more powerful than my arms, and I know more attacks that just use my legs."

"Yes, but your arm is still hurt, you shouldn't be putting yourself in dangerous positions where you'll get hurt even worse."

"Naruto, I'm going to be in the living room, holler at me when you're done with your couple's spat," Sai said, before leaving.

"We're not having a spat!" Naruto hollered, getting up to go after the black haired man. He paused at the door, smiled at Gaara, and said, "Thanks, for caring."

The red head blinked at the empty doorway, and shook his head, before getting up and heading to the bathroom to get ready for work.

He was brushing his teeth, and examining a lock of wet hair, when he heard Naruto yell, "Shut up, Sai!"

He washed out the minty paste from his mouth, before checking on what was going on.

Naruto was glaring at a pot on the stove that was steaming, and Sai was sitting at the table, watching the blond with a strange curiosity. It was almost analytical, like watching a scientist observe a specimen, and found the specimen doing something out of the ordinary.

He hesitated, noting the tension between the two men, before going over to Naruto and examining the contents in the pot. He glanced up at the blond, and then went to grab the container that contained his tea. He nudged Naruto out of the way, before brewing the fragrant leaves.

"Are you upset because you don't have one, or because it's too small to be discernible," Sai asked, the fake smile on his face.

Naruto threw a spatula at Sai, who dodged it with an easy tilt to his head, "Ah, that's right, you're terrible in weapons, too."

"I threw it with my left arm! If it was my right, I would have gotten you!" Naruto yelled.

"If you only rely on your right arm, then how are you going to beat Sasuke?"

"Shut up!"

Gaara leaned against the counter, cradling his warm cup of tea, and watched the animosity between the two men. He had never seen Naruto react to someone so negatively.

"Sai," Gaara suddenly said, "Are you coming to work today? Or have you given up on your undercover job?"

The dark haired man removed his gaze from the blond, and looked at Gaara as if he had forgotten the red head was there. "No, I won't be going to work anymore. The situation has taken a turn for the worst, and because we saw the kidnappers, they'll probably attempt to get Naruto sooner and then relocate where no one remembers them."

The blond scowled, before storming over to the couch, and plunked himself on it, crossing his arms, like a petulant child. After a moment, he unfolded himself, and turned on the TV, ignoring the two in the kitchen with a purposeful air.

"He's just angry that he got caught in the first place," Sai told the red head.

The volume on the television rose.

Gaara watched the blond, cradling the tea, before looking offhandedly at the clock. He set the cup down, and frowned, looking for his tie. There was a flash of black, and the red head looked up to see Naruto twirling his tie on his finger. His face held a smug smile, even though he never looked his way.

Puzzled, he walked over to the blond and reached over to grab his tie, when it darted carelessly out of his reach. He frowned at Naruto, and reached to grab it again, but, like before, it flickered away. He scowled down at the blond, reaching even further, over Naruto's body trying to reach for the tie, before losing his balance and landing in the blond's lap.

He glared at the orange shirt that was bunched together on the armrest at the other end of the couch. Gaara frowned, and then turned to look around his living room, noticing Naruto's things in it. The blond even had a picture of a younger Sakura and Naruto, with a dark haired boy their age, and a silver haired man behind them on his side table. When did Naruto's things suddenly integrate themselves into his home?

The bottom of his tie bounced in front of his face. He reached up, snapping the tie out of Naruto's hand, and placed his hands on Naruto's thighs, without care, lifting himself up off the blond. He tried to glower at the blond when he finally righted himself, but Naruto avoided his gaze, looking down and away from Gaara, his ears turning red.

"I don't want to interrupt your lovey-dovey time, but you're going to be late for work," Sai pointed out in a drawl.

Gaara let out a frustrated sigh, before wrapping the tie around his neck and tying if off, then grabbed his papers for work. He tripped over Naruto's shoes on his way to the door, and he kicked them out of his way.

As he was closing the door, he heard Sai ask, "You're not very good at flirting, are you, Naruto?"

"Shut up, Sai!"

* * *

><p>Gaara's office phone rang.<p>

"Hello, this is Gaara speaking," he said.

"H-Hello, this is the new editor-in-chief's assistant, Choujirou, um, I'm speaking on behalf of Terumi Mei, the editor-in-chief, and, uh, she wants you to come to her office in three hours so she can meet you. That is all," the voice on the other end said.

"Three hours? So, at one?"

"Yes," Choujirou confirmed.

"I'll be there, then. Goodbye."

"Ah! Um, uh, bye," Choujirou said, floundering.

Within the three hours, Gaara managed to correct half of the articles that were on his desk, eat lunch, and complete his own article for the week.

When he entered the Veteran's old office, he was surprised that the old man's dark green walls were changed to a soft rolling blue, almost ocean like. There were pictures of the ocean from different places around the world. The office chairs looked comfortable, rather than the stiff backed seats that the Veteran had.

He looked around, and noticed that all the section heads were in the room; Kankuro, Baki, Matsuri, Korobi, and Yaoki, along with two people he didn't know. He assumed that the blue haired young man was Choujirou, from the way he was holding himself, expecting to have someone reprimand him for breathing in air, and he assumed that the auburn haired woman was Terumi Mei. If it wasn't enough that she was behind the desk, her clothes also matched the color of the room.

She smiled at him when his gaze landed on her, and she said, "You're the last one to enter, Gaara." She looked around the room, her fingertips resting on her desk, and said, "Hello, my name is Terumi Mei. I'm replacing your old section editor, Oonuki. I expect the same respect that was given to him. Unlike him, though, I do hope we'll have fun."

"Yes, ma'am," chorused through the office.

She swept her hand over to the blue haired man, "This is Choujiro, he's my assistant, and will be here while I am." She paused for a second, and then said, "The rest of my week is full, but I would like to know if you would like to go out for a drink tonight so that I may get to know you better?"

"Sure!" Matsuri, Yaoki, and Korobi said with an immediate excitement, while Kankuro gave a more calm confirmation.

Matsuri and Yaoki turned to Gaara, and said, "You should come, too, Gaara! It'll be lots of fun!"

Gaara looked over at them, frowning, "Is there a designated driver?"

"I'll do it," Korobi volunteered.

Gaara looked at Matsuri's and Yaoki's hopeful faces, then said, "Yes, I'll go. It'll be ... good."

Gaara turned to look at Baki, "Will you come?"

Baki started, then shook his head, "I have other work to do."

"Great," Mei said smiling. "Now, all of you are dismissed, except Gaara."

They left, chattering amongst themselves, taking with them the cheerful, and lighthearted air.

Mei gestured for him to take a seat in the chair, and he was surprised that it was as comfortable as it looked. Choujirou smiled over at him, and Gaara stared at the teeth filed to a point. The blue haired man gasped, and clamped his hands over his mouth.

"Choujirou, don't worry about your teeth, I'm sure he doesn't mind," Mei said.

Gaara confirmed with a single nod. The blue haired boy relaxed.

"Now, Gaara, the old man told me that he wanted me to help you with your quotes, as he was never good with them himself." Mei looked at the papers on her desk, "He was right, though, your quotes aren't very good. So, I'm recommending some sessions after work that may help you out with your quotes, will that be okay, or do you have other plans?"

"No, that should be fine. If I can get better quotes then my articles will improve," Gaara said.

Mei nodded, "Now, the old man was going to retire later and give this position to you, but because of his sudden decline in health, he had to be replaced earlier, and the head didn't feel like you were quite ready to take the position." Gaara stared at her in surprise, and Mei paused, "The reason I'm telling you this is not so you can get a swell head, but because I need to know the people under me better, and you're the best source." Mei sat down, and lean forward, relaxing her head on her wrists, "Now, what can you tell me about my new underlings?"

Gaara blinked, still reeling from the fact that the old man had thought he could take his position. He didn't even know the Veteran had liked him. "Baki's the best with political and religious leaders. Most of them think that we're kidding if we send any of the other section heads because they're younger. Baki's better at reading them, as well, knowing when to pursue a subject and when to drop it. Yet, he's not very good with anything other than politics.

"Matsuri is good with anything, but she's better at the sport stories, and the more tragic stories. She never puts in her opinion or adds any questionable facts, and yet she's able to get the reader crying. She needs help with older men, though. They tend to not take her seriously, especially since she's our sports editor. She can't keep sending in other reporters to get information for her because that hurts her story.

"Yaoki and Korobi are good with all sorts of people, young, old, male, female, they can get a decent quote out of all of them. They work best together, though, and if they're separated they tend to do worse on an article. They're almost like twins with a strange codependency. However, they aren't very good with tragic or horrifying stories. They tend to want to lighten the article up, and that skews the story too much.

"Kankuro," Gaara paused, it was odd, telling a stranger things about his own brother, "Is good, as a reporter, but he needs help as a section editor because very few under him take him at his word when he's acting the boss. He likes to have a good relationship with his reporters, and that's not a bad thing, but if they won't take him seriously when he's giving them an assignment, then that affects the whole newspaper.

"I'm the worst at quotes, and tend to upset my older male coworkers," Gaara paused. "I stick to the facts, and as of today, I've yet to be sued for liability as a reporter. I'm currently working on an article about the Bloody Cloud Gang in my free time."

"Nicely done," Mei said, smiling. "This is very helpful, I'll be able to start working with everybody on their problems. You're dismissed, and I look forward to drinking with you tonight."

Gaara gave her a slight nod, and exited the office.

He considered calling his apartment and telling Naruto that he was going to be out late, but dismissed the idea. He didn't need to report himself to Naruto every second of his day. Besides, the blond would be ecstatic that he was going out, and although Naruto had recently been kidnapped, that did not mean the red head would be.

Korobi was laughing as he dropped Gaara off at his apartment. The red head couldn't help but give a small smile in response. He had drank a little too much at the bar, and he tripped as he got out of the taxi.

It was odd; his mind felt clear, but his body responded sluggishly. Mei chuckled behind him, and he heard a click, and then the door opened on her side. She came around the car, and wrapped Gaara's arm around her shoulder.

"I truly hope you don't have a hangover tomorrow. I wouldn't have asked you guys out on a weeknight, but my schedule was full this week," she said, as she helped him over to the stairs. "Would you give me your room number? I'm a little afraid to let you up these stairs by yourself. I don't want one of my section heads to split their head if I can't help it."

Gaara nodded, and said, "It's 901, second floor."

They started up the stairs, and Mei said, "You know, I was really uncertain of moving to this newspaper. I was very content in my hometown, but it was suggested that I move here, at least for a little while, so that I can learn new things, and about new people." Mei smiled at him, "I never thought that my underlings would be so cute."

Gaara looked down and watched as his feet stumbled up the staircase, a vague blush of red on his face. They made it up to the top of the stairs, and he said, "I don't think Kankuro or Baki would appreciate you calling them cute," he said awkwardly, trying to steer the conversation away from him.

Mei looked down at him, a sly glint in her eyes, "Who said I was talking about Kankuro or Baki?"

"Gaara?"

Mei and Gaara turned to look at Naruto who opened his door. He was wearing his normal day clothes, but looked like he just woke up. There was a strange churning in his stomach that had nothing to do with the alcohol; he had kept Naruto awake. The blond blinked when he saw Mei, and frowned.

Mei smiled at the blond, and said, "Hello, I'm Terumi Mei, Gaara's new boss."

Naruto's eyes widened in understanding, "Ah, I'm Uzumaki Naruto, Gaara's roommate."

Gaara flushed, and, with a drunken stupor, questioned why there was a feeling of guilt, like being caught going behind someone's back.

Mei quirked a brow, and said, "Two extremely cute boys in one place, my heart's aflutter. All we need now is a sweet red wine, and I'd be in heaven."

Naruto looked over at Gaara, and they shared a glance as Mei looked at them amusedly. "However," she said with a dramatic sigh, "I have to get up early tomorrow, so I'll be taking my leave."

She leaned over to press a kiss on Naruto's lips, turned and pressed a kiss on Gaara's lips, then she leaned next to Gaara's ear, and whispered, "Indirect kiss."

Gaara flushed, and avoided looking Naruto in the eyes, opting to watch Mei go down the staircase.

"I-Interesting boss," Naruto mumbled. Gaara looked over and saw the blond, his face tinged red, leaning against the door. "Are you coming in?"

"Yes," Gaara said, slipping past the blond, stumbling over ill placed shoes. Naruto grabbed the red head's sleeve, and helped him stand up. Then he jerked his arm out of the tanned hand. "Thank you," he muttered, swaying, as he made his way to the couch, hissing as he stubbed his toe against the coffee table, and then dropping onto the couch, and closing his eyes.

He heard the tap run, and then shut off.

"Here," Naruto said, and Gaara opened an eye to see a cup of water in front of him. "You need to get something inside besides alcohol," he mumbled.

Gaara took the glass, and drank it down, looking at Naruto over the rim. He set it aside, and said, "You have some lipstick on your mouth."

The blond blinked, then wiped his mouth with his T-shirt sleeve.

"No, you didn't get it," Gaara muttered, and grabbed the sleeve, leaning up and using it to wipe the blond's mouth, reminded him of the time when the blond did the same for him. Naruto's mouth parted, and the red head felt the warm breath on his face. He looked up, and froze seeing those cerulean eyes watching him. Gaara quickly let go of the blond, and leaned away, knocking over the glass of water.

The red head let out a frustrated sigh, and Naruto said, "Don't worry about it, I'll get it. You'd be better off going to bed. Here," the blond said, holding out his arms.

He looked at the arms, and then sat up ignoring his helping hand. He saw a flash of hurt in the blond's eyes, and hesitated, before heading to his bed.

Gaara woke up to the echoes of 'indirect kiss'. He groaned, tugging a pillow over his ears. Then blinked in surprise and sat up, frowning. He looked around his room; no sign of the blond. He turned to look at the alarm clock, and blinked, making sure he was reading the time right. Ten fifty-one, and he was sure that A.M. was showing.

He growled, and stumbled out of his bed. He dressed, foregoing the shower in sign of being late to work. He paused outside of his door to the smell of eggs cooking and Naruto chatting.

Gaara frowned, and walked down the hall peeking around the wall to see who else was with his blond.

He came out when he saw the messy brown hair that reminded him of his neighbor, Kiba. He was able to confirm it when the man turned to him, a grin on his face, revealing the pointy canines that matched the maroon triangle tattoos that pointed down.

"Good morning, Gaara," Naruto said, flipping a slightly burnt egg.

"The egg's done cooking," Gaara pointed out. Then he demanded, "Why didn't you wake me up this morning?"

The blond rushed to save the egg, dumping it on the plate, before saying, "Well, Mei called me this morning and said to let you have the morning off, unsure of whether you'd have a hangover. She said that it was her fault, so she'd take responsibility of it. Kiba, do you want ketchup with your egg?"

"Ew, who ruins a perfectly good egg with ketchup?" the brunette said, sticking out his tongue, there was a bark in agreement, and Gaara looked down frowning as he saw the white dog.

"What time did she say to be there?" the red head asked, frustrated.

Naruto frowned, and looked up, thinking about it, then said, "One o'clock. She wants you there at one."

Gaara nodded, and turned around.

"Hey! What do you want for lunch? Gaara?"

The red head, paused by the bathroom door, and said, loud enough for the blond to hear, "I'll make myself lunch."

When he came out of the bathroom with his work slacks on, a towel draped around his bare shoulders, the apartment was quiet.

He looked around to the kitchen area, and saw Naruto resting his head on the table, his plate pushed out in front of him. Gaara frowned at the blond, concern creasing his brows, and picked up the discarded plate. He checked the time, then grabbed the lunch he had made the night before.

He heated up the leftover liver, something Naruto wouldn't finish off for him, and watched the blond as he snoozed. Gaara went rigid when the microwave beeped at him. He glanced over at the blond, who was blinking groggily, before sitting up in his chair. Gaara glared at the microwave.

He got his lunch, and set it on the table, ignoring Naruto's blatant stare as he ate his lunch.

"G-Gaara, where's your shirt?"

The red head frowned and looked down, then said, "I was hungry, and I used to do this before you lived with me, and you were sleeping."

"You're the one who woke me up," the blond muttered.

Gaara ate a bite of liver so he wouldn't have to say anything.

"So, um," the blond said, fumbling. "I really don't mind you going out and having fun, really, I'm glad that you went out with your coworkers, and boss," the blond blushed lightly, and Gaara frowned. "But, would you mind telling me that you're coming home later? I wouldn't normally mind, but with the gang going around, and being active and all, I was worried. Not just because I'm living with you, but because they've attacked random people walking out on the streets late at night."

"But I wasn't walking on the streets late at night, I was driven home," Gaara pointed out.

Naruto glared at him, "Yes, but _I_ didn't know that. I thought you were walking home, and I didn't know what to think when you didn't come back around your usual time." The blond flushed, and mumbled, "I was debating whether or not to call the police or wait it out, and fell asleep."

Gaara's brow puckered, and he finished chewing the bit of food in his mouth, "What time do you wake up?"

"Hm? Oh, three five-ish. It depends, but I'm usually awake by three fifteen so I can at least get in two hours of running," the blond sighed, and laid his head back down in the nest of his arms.

Gaara glared at an empty spot on the table. The blond had stayed up until one waiting for him, even if he did get a nap in. He didn't like the pangs of guilt going through him, and stood up, finished with his lunch.

He finished getting dressed and grabbed his work bag. He looked down at the blond, and sighed. He grabbed a pad of paper, and scribbled a quick note to Naruto, sleeping on the table, and noiselessly left the apartment.

* * *

><p>AN:

Yay! Mei is here! I like Mei. I could see some really interesting stories being created for her and Gaara. And awww, Choujirou is such a cutie. Also, I would die if I called someone and they said, "Hello, this is Gaara speaking."

And yes! The Veteran was Oonuki. When I started writing the Veteran, I really wasn't sure if he was going to be an OC, but then I realized that he was already very Oonuki-like, that I decided to just have him be Oonuki, anyway. Besides, I like the guy, he kind of reminds me of my grandpa (except for the back and hip problems, my grandpa has never complained about anything hurting...).

Now, onto more drama! (Ahahahaha, well, at least Naruto didn't leave in this one.)

My beta wanted to add something =) :

B/N:

Yay!~ More Drama! Always good for plot advances! I'm so proud of all the hard work you've put into this story! *turns to look at the reader* ….If you don't favorite, I will personally come and find you and do horrible, horrible, things to your mind and body…. *politely smiles* Well, have fun!~


	14. Chapter 14: When Honey and Pepper Clash

**Title**: Iris

**Author**: LadySable (LiveJournal)/StoryBard(here)

**Pairings**: GaaNaruGaa

**Rating**: T

**WARNINGS**: This will have heterosexuality and homosexuality. If either offend you, this is not the story for you.

**Disclaimer**: The characters are property of Masashi Kishimoto. I do not make money from this fan made work.

**Summary**: AU/AR Gaara adopts a pet unlike any other.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 14: When Honey and Pepper Clash<strong>

"What do you mean Sasuke's sponsor gave him a hickey?" Naruto asked into his cell phone.

Gaara, from his position at the table, looked over at the blond sitting at the couch.

"Oh, don't get all 'technical' on me. I know the dude's not his sponsor, now, but still. Jeez, Sakura. Hasn't he learned by now that people are creepers?" There was a pause. "No, I'm not going to visit him. He can take care of himself, besides, we still haven't talked things out."

The red head gave the blond a frown.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know I need to clear this up, I'll do it soon." Another pause, "How soon? Um, I dunno, but soon enough. Yeah, you'll hear about it. Probably." Naruto winced, and Gaara could hear the tinny voice coming from the cell phone. "All right, fine, I'll tell you. Now, it's Monday, and it's getting late. I have to let you go. Gaara takes me on walks on Monday night." Naruto grinned over at the red head.

"No, no, I'm not the pet anymore. It's fun, though, pretending I still am," Naruto gave Gaara another mischievous grin, and then winced when a pen hit his head. "Right, well, bye, Sakura. Talk to you later!"

* * *

><p>"Gaara, I think today we'll start up your training," Mei said, swirling honey into her hot tea.<p>

"Training?" he asked, pausing between bites of his sandwich.

"Your 'quote' training. It's the worst aspect of your writing, so I'm going to train you. Will you be available around six this evening?"

"Yes, I should be."

"No plans with Honey Boy?" Mei asked with a smile that seemed like she was enjoying her own private joke.

"'Honey Boy?'" Gaara asked, his brow puckering in confusion.

"Your roommate. His hair reminds me of honey, but I have to say, I prefer hot, red chili peppers," she said, giving his red hair a not-so-subtle look.

"I-I see," he mumbled, before standing.

"Do you?" Mei asked. "I don't think you do, but I'll let you go. Don't forget about your training tonight!"

Gaara waved back at her, letting her know that he heard.

* * *

><p>It was a little before six when he entered her sea themed office. He was startled when he found Matsuri in one of the office chairs across from Mei.<p>

"I told you that this was training," she said, noticing his startled look. "The best way to practice is to interview people. Matsuri was given a role to play, and you have to interview her role, but don't think she'll go easy on you just because you know her. She'll be able to give you tips on what to improve after the interview."

"What will you be doing?" he asked her.

"I will be editing articles and looking over templates for the newspaper. The only time you'll even notice me is when I make corrections to Matsuri's role, or if you need help in getting her to crack."

Gaara narrowed his eyes, but said nothing. He turned to Matsuri, and introduced himself, pretending he had never met her, and started the fake interview.

One thing he learned in that interview session was that if Matsuri really wanted too, she could have a side job as an actress.

In the beginning, it was very easy, Matsuri gave him whatever information he wanted, that is, until Mei stepped in.

"You're a mother who's being charged with child neglect, and here comes in this uppity reporter who's younger than you are. I mean, look at him," Mei said, gesturing to Gaara's expressionless face. "If I were a mother who was charged with child neglect, I would hate him. He just gives off this aura of 'I'm better than you.'"

Gaara scowled at Mei, "I do not."

"You do," Mei said, and then she dismissed him, and sat back down, waving for them to carry on.

It was much tougher after that.

Matsuri started to ignore all of his questions, made snarky comments, and was plain stubborn against him. He was only able to get one decent quote before he lost his patience. He clenched his fist against his forehead, and counted to ten before looking up.

"I think that's enough," Mei said, setting down her red pen, and standing up. She snatched Gaara's notebook out of his hand, and scanned his quotes. "Ah, so you do know a good quote when you hear one. We just need to work on your interviewing abilities." She glanced at him. "You know that there are tons of people harder to crack than Matsuri, so this is something that you really need to focus on.

"You did a good job at trying to calm yourself, but it was noticeable, and if you do that in front of someone, they're going to know that they had you, and won't make the rest of the interview easy," Mei tapped her pencil against her chin. "I think I'll have you work on interviews with the section heads for now, as they can give you good advice. When you're better, I'll have you work with the underlings as practice. Who knows, some of them might give you some good advice as well."

Gaara gave a tired nod.

"You need to relax more in your interviews. You make the interviewees feel like they're at a job interview instead of an interview where they tell their side of the story," Mei said. "If you just do that, I'm sure that your interviews will become easier, but it'll take some practice. Right now, though, you can head home," she said with a smile.

He stood up, straightened his clothes, and exited the blue office before heading home.

"You were pretty late tonight," Naruto said during dinner, pushing the peas on his plate around.

Gaara nodded and said, "I'm improving my work with Mei, so I probably won't be home until late for a while."

Naruto looked over at the clock on the stove, and, stifling a yawn, got up and set his plate in the sink. "I'm going to bed, 'night."

Before the red head could return the idiom, Naruto was closing the door to his room.

The next day his interviewee was Yaoki and Kaoru.

Yaoki and Kaoru were by far the easiest to interview, but Gaara suspected that was because they could put anyone at ease, even their interviewer. Their roles were that of two business partners that had patented a device that was hot on the market. However, after the first interview, Mei exempted them from all the other interview sessions. They couldn't keep anything from him, and gave him everything he wanted to know.

When he went home that night, Naruto had ordered a pizza for dinner, and was sleeping on the couch, waiting for him to get home. Gaara shook him awake.

"Naruto, what are you doing up? You should just go to bed. There's no sense in waiting up for me," his quiet voice didn't conceal his irritation. "I'm not a teenager who needs his parents to stay up for him. I was at work."

Naruto frowned at him, and said, "I know you're not a teenager. I wouldn't be able to live with you if you were." Underneath his breath, he added, "I just wanted to make sure you were safe."

"I'm safe, so go to bed, I'd rather you be well-rested, than to be tired," Gaara said, his voice stern, as if Naruto was a teenager.

Naruto looked at him, as if to say something, before turning away, rubbing his cast. He stood up, and headed towards his room, not making a sound.

The red head frowned, trying to figure out Naruto's change in behavior, but dismissed it, and retired to his own room.

Thursday, he interviewed his brother.

Kankuro played the role of a famous basketball player that had recently won a championship. It wasn't the role that made him hard, though. It was that Kankuro knew exactly what buttons would rile Gaara, and would push them without hesitation, while still being able to stay in character.

"You want to know how I managed to defeat that Spiral team? Well, it all started at this bar, and you see, my brother and I were eating there, and this fishcake dude, well, he managed to hurt my brother, the bastard."

"Excuse me, how does this have any relevance to you winning the championship?" Gaara asked, his voice dry and brittle.

"Hey, now, no need to get antsy," Kankuro said, giving him a vicious grin. "See, it turns out the fishcake dude was the forward on the Spiral team. So, it was payback time. I'm still not completely satisfied, though. I think I might have to go rough him up a bit for hurting my brother."

"Kankuro," Gaara warned, narrowing his eyes.

"Hey, why are you getting all defensive, Mr. Interviewer? I mean, it's not like you know the fishcake dude or anything," he said with a snigger. "Besides, he hurt my brother, he should be roughed up a little bit, too."

"If you hadn't noticed, Mr. Fishcake got a broken arm," Gaara said, tapping his clipboard. "Your brother had a scratch on his shoulder. In comparison to your brother's injury, I feel that he got more than enough retribution."

"Huh, I didn't hear that he had a broken arm."

"A broken arm, some cuts, and bruises. He was lucky that's all that happened, the other members on the team weren't so lucky, some of them are still in the hospital." Much to Naruto's remorse.

"I really should kill fishcake dude for putting my brother in such a dangerous position."

"If you want to kill anyone, you should kill the coach, he's the one who put your brother on the front line."

"Yeah, but my sister already ripped into the coach, I need to rip into someone, too."

"Excuse me," Mei said, causing both men to look at her. "I get the feeling that you guys are talking about something, and not interviewing. Save the talking for later."

Gaara and Kankuro nodded, and went back to the actual interview.

It didn't take long for the brunette to get off track again. "I wonder how fishcake dude is taking it?"

"Taking what?" the red head asked, jotting down something his brother had said before.

"Well, my brother has been going home late every night this past week. I'm sure my brother's lover is kind of irritated with it," Kankuro said with a flippant attitude.

Gaara furrowed his brows, and said, "Your brother has a lover? Are we talking about the same brother?"

"Oh, right, he's still oblivious," Kankuro said with a shake to his head. "I mean, I wonder how his, uh, friend is taking it."

"He's perfectly fine," Gaara said.

It wasn't quite a lie. Naruto hadn't said anything to him about it. However, the blond had been getting quieter and quieter as the week passed. He would rub the cast, and look at him, as if to say something, but then he would look away, and go back to whatever he was doing. At the moment, the blond was occupying his time with the scholarship, even though it meant writing with his left hand instead of his right, and he was still running in the morning.

When Gaara, had asked about it, Naruto had made a plausible argument as to why he shouldn't have to quit running, giving that Sai was running with him, and that he was only using his legs, not his arms.

"Really?" Kankuro asked, and started to say something else, but Mei cleared her throat, causing him to chuckle nervously before going back to the interview.

Friday's interview with Matsuri was cut short.

Mei gave him a stern look and said, "You're in a temperamental mood, which won't help you out in your interviews. I don't know if it's because of the interviews after work, or if it's something personal, but it's not professional, and you're not getting anywhere today. Take a break, and we'll resume the interviews on Sunday."

"Mei―" Gaara began.

"No. You need the break, and Saturdays are our hardest day of the week. You would be here until midnight if we added an interview session onto your normal work. Besides, the break will give you a chance to think over what you could do differently."

Gaara sighed, but nodded, and said, "Yes, ma'am."

"Good, now, go apologize to Matsuri. She took time out of her day to help you, and you weren't professional."

He nodded, and then left the room. Looking around he spotted Matsuri standing next to the door. Gaara motioned to her to follow him.

"I apologize, I didn't mean to snap at you," he said as they walked. They were the last ones in the building, except for the custodians and Mei.

"I won't say that it was okay, but you seemed off today. Did something happen?"

"Did something happen?" he mused. "My roommate..."

"You have a roommate?" Matsuri asked in surprise. Then she frowned, and said, "Is he causing you problems? Like, not cleaning up after himself, demanding you do things that you've never done before, or is he just not doing anything, and it's frustrating you?"

Gaara looked at her, "He's a good roommate. Although, I don't have anyone to compare him to, but, yes, he was asking me to do something I've never had to do before, and I was running late this morning because of him." He sighed, "It's probably just a one time thing, I mean, he's never said anything about it before, and he never asks his other friends to do it."

"What did he ask you to do?" Matsuri asked, frowning at him.

"He wanted me to call him, before I leave work," Gaara said with a frown.

"Why?"

"He said that he was concerned with me coming home late at night."

"Really? Has he ever asked anything from you before?"

"No," Gaara said, his brow furrowing in puzzlement. "I don't know how to explain it, but I don't care for it."

"Does it feel like he's taking away some of your freedom?"

Gaara gave a slight nod.

"Well," Matsuri said. "I don't know what to tell you. It really depends on what he means to you. If he's just a roommate, then he shouldn't impinge on your freedom, unless you have rules about coming home late. Anyway, I have to go, Gaara. Korobi is taking me home." She gave him a small wave as she walked past him.

When Gaara came home on Saturday, Naruto was already asleep.

The blond was quiet on Sunday morning. Giving only a short goodbye before Gaara left.

After work, he was surprised to see Baki in Mei's office as his interviewee. It was strange that the man would participate in an exercise for him. Baki just shrugged, and said, "I don't mind helping you get better, it's the least I could do, as your ex-guardian."

The red head nodded, and Mei told them to begin.

Baki was like a clam. There was no easy way to get him to open up. Gaara knew the others, and knew what to say that would get them to start talking, unthinking about what they were saying. Baki, though, was not easy. The red head didn't know enough about the older man to get him to open up, and Baki never gave anything away. He acted very much like the politician whose role he was playing.

An hour easily flew by without Gaara getting anywhere. Mei was about to call it quits, when the red head asked if he could extend the interview. Baki nodded, and Mei went back to the articles she was working on.

It took the red head an hour and a half before he'd finally got something he wanted: a lead. Yet, no matter how hard he tried to follow through with it, Baki would either say nothing, or change the subject.

Mei called it quits when the interview hit the two hour mark. "You're tired, and frustrated. Baki is," she looked at Baki who gave her a calm look, "still a closed book. You didn't get much except for the lead." Gaara glowered at the floor.

"But you're improving," Mei said, and Gaara looked up. "You're not showing your frustration as easily, and you did manage to get that lead." Mei chuckled, "I asked Baki to do this because I _knew_ he wouldn't give you anything unless you worked for it. I'm surprised you even got the lead, so don't beat up on yourself. Go home and enjoy good company," Mei said with a wink.

Gaara looked away and stood up abruptly. "Thank you, Baki, Mei." Then he left the room, gathered his things, and went home.

When he got to his apartment, he was surprised that his door was locked, but the flickering of blue TV light through the curtains told him the blond was home. He frowned. Naruto never locked the door. He fished out his key, and unlocked the door, trying to wave away the unease he was feeling.

He opened the door, and entered, looking at the sofa as he untied his shoes, and left them by the door. He walked around to the front of it, and saw blond, spiky hair peeking out from underneath the gray comforter that Naruto must have gotten from off his bed.

Folding the blanket back to the blond's shoulders, Gaara shook the shoulder gently. It took a moment, but blond lashes flickered before opening, revealing tired blue eyes.

"You're finally home," the blond mumbled, before sitting up with a yawn, stretching his left arm.

"Why didn't you go to bed if you were that tired? It's 9:30, I wouldn't have minded," he said, frowning at the blond.

"Yeah, but I was worried," Naruto said, not looking at him, rubbing the cast.

"Why?"

Naruto glared up at him, "Well, you didn't call, you were two hours later than you normally are, and BCG is still out there. How could I go to bed when I didn't know if you were going to make it home?"

"BCG has nothing against me," Gaara said. "They don't even know I'm doing a report about them."

"But they're still out there!" Naruto stood up. "They won't pause to hurt an innocent bystander or passerby. You're walking home late at night, when it's dark and you can't see. How do you expect to protect yourself if you can't even see who you're hitting, and there's more than one of them?"

"And you could do much better? With a broken arm?" Gaara said, crossing his arms.

"That's not what I was saying! Besides, even I would have a hard time against five people. I meant that they're still out there, doing petty crimes, and you walk by a bunch of alleyways; do you know how easily they could jump you?"

Naruto gave a frustrated sigh, and rubbed his hair with his hand, before looking up at him, and saying, "This wasn't really want I was trying to say. What I was trying to ask was that you call me before you leave work, that way if you don't get here around the usual time, I could call the police. The sooner they know someone's missing, the faster they can find them."

"I can take care of myself. You shouldn't have to worry about me," he said with a frown.

"I know you can take care of yourself! It's my life, I can worry about whoever I want, and you coming home late worries me!"

"Naruto," Gaara said, narrowing his eyes. "I've never had to tell anyone where I've been. I've never had to call someone and tell them where I was. I've _never_ had to report myself to another person."

"I'm not expecting a report, Gaara, I just want you to call me. You know," Naruto said, shuffling his feet, "When you live with someone, and are friends, you...you have to take them into consideration, too! It's not just you anymore, it's you and me! And I...don't want you to get hurt if I can do something about it." Naruto gave him a firm look, locking his eyes onto his.

"Then what about Sasuke? You used to live with him, and I've never heard you ask him to call you, or worry about him."

"He can take care of himself, though. He doesn't need me," he said, his brows furrowing in confusion. "What does Sasuke have to do with anything?"

"So, Sasuke can take care of himself, but when it comes to me, I can't? I thought we were friends, Naruto. Why do you treat me as if I'm less?" Gaara rubbed his forehead with his fingers, and then looked over at Naruto, noting the bags under his eyes, "We're tired. Let's get some sleep, and we'll talk tomorrow, it's Monday."

"But, Gaara―"

"Please, Naruto?" he said, walking to his room, but he paused, and reached out to touch Naruto's shoulder, but hesitated, and let his arm drop, before heading to bed.

* * *

><p>When he woke up in the morning, he was surprised that Naruto wasn't next to him.<p>

He wasn't in the apartment, either.

Gaara tried to hide his panic, his mind already going to the worst conclusion, that Naruto had been kidnapped by BCG, again.

He calmed himself, got dressed, and made his way over to Sai's apartment, and knocked.

Sai opened the door, and gave Gaara a smile, and asked, "Would you like to come in Gaara?"

"No, I just need to know if Naruto came back from the run."

Sai blinked, and said, "Yes, I dropped him off at your apartment, and asked if he had any other plans that I should know about. He said no, and entered the house, before shutting the door. Is he not in there?" The man looked concerned.

Gaara looked at him, and said, "I didn't hear him come in, but his door is closed. I was just double checking. I didn't want to set off any alarms just because he locked himself in his room."

Sai gave him a suspicious look, but before he could ask any more questions, Gaara was gone.

When he got to his apartment, he checked his phone for any messages, and tried calling the blond, but to no avail; it just went to his voicemail.

He sighed, and decided to go to his last resort.

By the time he got to work, it was already nine. He made a beeline to Kankuro's office, but was surprised when he found it locked. He was about to call his brother, but a voice caused him to pause.

"Gaara, what are you doing here?" Mei asked, a hand on her hip. "It's your day off."

"I needed to talk to Kankuro," he said.

"Ah, I sent Kankuro to do a report on a traveling puppet show," she paused, and looked at Gaara. "Would you like to talk to me about it?"

Gaara looked away.

"If it's relationship problems, I can be of assistance. I've been in a few relationships before." Mei looked around, and then grabbed Gaara, and said, "Let's go to my office."

* * *

><p>"So, Honey Boy was concerned, and a little jealous," Mei said, as she sat down in her chair.<p>

"'Jealous?'" Gaara gave Mei an incredulous look. "What would he be jealous of?"

"Well, I don't know. For the last two months that he has lived with you, you've always came home at roughly the same time. Then suddenly you get a new boss, said boss finds you attractive, and you're coming home later," Mei said, wrapping a strand of hair around her finger.

"I'm learning how to interview better, though," Gaara said with a frown.

"Does he know that?"

"No, I just told him I'd be coming home late because of work."

"You are, and it's innocent of any type of thoughts that Naruto might be having. However, in many a marriage, whenever a man has a mistress, and doesn't want his wife to know, he'll typically say he's coming home late because of work, instead of telling her that he was meeting his mistress."

"We're not married."

"No, but Honey Boy likes you, and you suddenly have an insanely young and gorgeous boss, and he thinks that you're staying behind because of me," Mei paused. "Well, you are, but he thinks of it in a more, hmm, romantic way?"

"We're not like that, though."

"You wound my heart, but, yes, we aren't like that. So, if you want him to not be jealous, then tell him you're staying late because of interview practice." Mei paused, "He's also right, though. You should call him if you are coming home late, especially because you're working on the BCG article, and because your roommate has recently been kidnapped by them. He has a right to worry if you're not telling him that you're coming home late."

Gaara opened his mouth, but Mei cut him off, "Yes, it takes away some of your freedom, but think of it this way. Would you rather have Honey Boy there to greet you when you come home, even if you have to call occasionally to tell him that you're late, or would you rather be able to come and go as you please and not have him there to greet you?"

Gaara paused.

"You know, I heard that the week that you were late every day was the week that you kicked Honey Boy out," Mei added with an innocent look.

"How did you know that?" Gaara asked, surprised.

"I have my sources," Mei said with a smile.

"Kankuro," Gaara growled.

"So what are you going to do now?"

Gaara looked at her, "What do you mean?"

"Well, Honey Boy's not at your apartment, or he wasn't this morning. He's probably mad at you, and won't pick up the phone," Mei said with a sly look. "He probably won't come back, either."

"Naruto made me a map to his house," Gaara said with a hesitant look towards the door.

"Good! Now go get him!" Mei said getting up to push him out the door.

"But―"

"Go!" Mei said, shoving him out of her office. "You don't have work today, it's your only opportunity," she added before slamming the door in his face.

Gaara gave it a blank stare, before heading home to get the map.

* * *

><p>AN:

Naruto! Why won't you stay still! Jeez, ever since chapter 10, all you seem to do is disappear. Stay! Also, you know, I have two new nicknames for you from this chapter, Honey Boy, and fishcake dude/Mr. Fishcake. Personally, I like Mr. Fishcake. Just think, that would have been his name if we directly translated it. xD

P.S. The Honey Boy thing...came from me wanting to give Mei a little bit more personality. Besides, everyone refers to Naruto's hair as matching the sun, or being highlighter yellow, so I wanted to do something a little differently. =)

_B/N:_

_Oh, Naruto….*sighs* You make me so happy yet so frustrated at the same time…Storybard, can't we just tie him to a chair to make him stay still? I mean, it obviously works; look at when he got kidnapped! We could totally do it! ^^'_

_Oh, yeah, Mr. Fishcake….gotta love it~_


	15. Chapter 15: Misunderstandings

**Title**: Iris

**Author**: LadySable (LiveJournal)/StoryBard(here)

**Pairings**: GaaNaruGaa

**Rating**: T

**WARNINGS**: This will have heterosexuality and homosexuality. If either offend you, this is not the story for you.

**Disclaimer**: The characters are property of Masashi Kishimoto. I do not make money from this fan made work. I also do not own a Mustang, nor do I own its copyright or anything like that.

**Summary**: AU/AR Gaara adopts a pet unlike any other.

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><p><strong>Chapter 15: Misunderstandings<strong>

Gaara glared down at the map Naruto had given him. He was lost, and it was all his fault. How was he supposed to follow his directions if his directions were 'turn right at the tall building with the weird thing'? What was a 'weird thing' and how was he supposed to identify this tall building from all the other tall buildings he had driven by?

He was about to give up, when he spotted a person with pink hair. He didn't even wonder what she was doing in Konoha, and pulled up next to the walking woman. He sighed in relief, that this was, indeed, Sakura. He rolled down the passenger side window.

"Sakura," he called out.

She jumped, and turned towards him, startled. "Gaara! What are you doing in Konoha?"

He frowned, "I could ask you the same thing. I'm looking for Naruto's apartment."

She walked over to the car, and said, "Do you have directions?"

"Yes, Naruto's," he grumbled, fishing out the map, and showing it to her.

Sakura began chuckling, but clamped her hand to her mouth when Gaara glowered at her. "Sorry, but no one can follow Naruto's directions! He's horrendous with directions. Tsunade thinks he gets it from Jiraiya," she paused. Then looked down the road, "You take a right at Elm, and then a left at Cherry. His apartment building is the third one on the right. It's a white building with gray trim. It almost looks like a motel, with the way all the residents have windows facing the walkway." Sakura wrinkled her nose, "I used to have an apartment there, and I hated that window, you have to get curtains or everyone can see your living room."

"Right at Elm, left on Cherry, third building on the right," Gaara said before she could start talking about something else, and Sakura nodded to confirm it. He was about to drive off, but paused and said, "Thank you, Sakura."

She blinked in surprise, then smiled, "You're welcome, good luck!" She waved good bye as he pulled out, no other cars driving by.

He followed the directions she gave him, and soon found the apartment building. She was right, it did look somewhat like a motel, with all the windows facing the walkway, but other than that, it looked like a normal apartment complex, not as clean as his, but not bad.

He looked down at the map Naruto had given him, and checked the apartment number, 509. Then got out of his car, and carefully locked it. He looked up at the apartment building, his eyes finding the fifth floor. Then he trudged over to the staircase, and worked his way up.

He was a little out of breath when he reached the fifth floor, unused to walking up so many steps. He recovered and looked for apartment 509. The first door he came across said 530. Gaara scowled, and began working his way around the apartment building until he was at the back of the apartment complex.

He reached 510, and sighed. He walked over to 509, but then paused as he noticed movement through the window to 509. He looked over and stared as he saw the back of a dark haired man, and the top of spiky blond hair. They were incredibly close together, and it looked like they were...kissing?

Gaara took a step back when the blond head moved enough that Gaara could see Naruto's right side. He was smiling, but it was different from the ones Gaara was used to, it was like a weight had been lifted off of Naruto. The red head hadn't noticed the weight that the blond had been burdening.

The blond looked up with a careless toss to his head, and froze when he noticed the red head.

Gaara cursed, and then took off, sighting stairs on this side of the balcony, he ran down them.

He hadn't been running for very long when he heard Naruto calling after him. He startled, but didn't look behind him. Rule number one in any book said, 'Never look behind you when you're running from something.' Although, in most cases that was big scary monsters, not the guy who was his friend, and ex-pet, and happened to be kissing a man, who was supposed to have been like a brother.

He got one last spurt of energy as the call came up very close behind him that lasted maybe a minute.

Then he grabbed onto a lamp post, using it to stop him before his knees collapsed on him.

He looked back at the blond who had been chasing him, and was happy to see that he, too, was a little out of breath. Not as bad as Gaara, but at least he'd made him run for it.

"Gaara, why are you in Konoha?" Naruto asked. The red head glowered at him. The blond had no shame at being caught, but this was Naruto. Gaara had never seen him ashamed of anything.

"Why did you run, anyway?" The blond asked, his voice filled with false innocence.

"Like you wouldn't know," the red head muttered.

The blond blinked, then frowned, "If I knew, I wouldn't have asked."

Gaara glowered at him, and then said, "You're a hypocrite."

"Wha-? Where did that come from?" Naruto demanded.

"You're the one always telling me to leave a note if I come home late, or call, or whatever, and then I wake up this morning, and you're not there," he hissed. "I didn't know where you were, or if you'd gotten kidnapped again-"

"Hey! That happened once!" Then he cried out, "I did leave you a note! I placed it on the side table next to your bed!"

"Well, maybe if someone had been there this morning, I wouldn't have panicked, and I would have noticed the note," Gaara hissed.

"I wouldn't have needed to leave a note, then!"

"Which would have been perfectly fine in my book," the red head grumbled.

Naruto blinked, "Ar-Are you becoming possessive?"

Gaara frowned, "What's that supposed to mean?"

The blond blushed, and covered his face with his hand.

"N-Naruto," the red head walked up to him carefully. "Are you okay?" Gaara removed the blond's hand, and noticed that his face was bright red, and his eyes looked feverish. "Are you getting sick?" The blond shook his head, and tried to avoid Gaara's gaze.

The red head frowned, and then noticed a bench behind them, and dragged Naruto over to it, setting the blond down. "Are you okay?" Gaara asked again.

"I-I'm fine," the blond muttered, his voice cracking.

Gaara watched the blond who was avoiding his gaze. The redness dissipated, and before the red head could even ask Naruto about it, the blond asked, "Why did you run?"

"What? When?" the red head asked, confused.

"Just a few minutes-or wait, was that about ten minutes?-ago! I mean, I saw you through the window, and you ran off!" Naruto paused, "Or were you supposed to meet someone else here, and was surprised to see me here?"

"N-No, I wasn't supposed to meet anybody here," Gaara said, looking away.

The blond frowned, "Then why did you run?"

"I saw something," Gaara glowered at the sidewalk.

"What did you see?" Naruto asked carefully.

"I saw you and the dark haired man kissing," Gaara said under his breath.

"What was that?"

"I saw you and the dark haired man kissing," he said, turning to glare at the blond.

"Wha-?" the blond said, his face in shock. "Kissing? Me and Sasuke?" Then he shook his head, and glared back at the red head, "What would ever give you that idea? Sasuke and I are like brothers! We wouldn't kiss! That one time in middle school was a complete accident!" Naruto cried out.

"One time in middle school?" Gaara asked, arching his brow.

The blond growled, "It was a stupid accident. I was leaning over, glaring at Sasuke, who was acting all cool-like and pretending I was a gnat, and then some idiot accidentally pushed me over, and our faces kind of hit," Naruto ended lamely. Then he chuckled, "That was the worst week in my entire life! Sakura wouldn't talk to me for days, and anytime she saw me, she would hit me. Actually half of the female population in school reacted the same way."

"If you weren't kissing, then what were you doing?" Gaara asked.

"Hmm? Oh, me and Sasuke?" Naruto frowned, then looked down at himself, and chuckled. "He was helping me fix my tie," he said, flapping the gnarled up tie at Gaara. "I meant to clean up my problem with Sasuke, or at least, talk about it a little, and then go back to Suna, but Granny heard I was in town, and demanded that I eat dinner with her. It's at a really sophisticated place, so I have to wear a tie."

Gaara looked at Naruto, frowning as he just noticed that Naruto was wearing a fit dark blue button-up shirt, black slacks, and dress shoes. His tie was mostly black, with dark blue intricate designs. The blond was tugging at the tie, trying to fix it, but failing with one arm in a cast, and the other just making the knot even worse. The shirt was untucking from his pants, letting Gaara see little slivers of tanned skin.

"Here, Naruto," the red head said, tugging the blond towards him. He easily untangled the tie, and then fixed it for him, trying to ignore the blond's hot breath that was ruffling his hair. He leaned back, and said, "Your shirt's untucking."

Naruto blinked, then stood up, and fixed the shirt with his left arm, "I haven't worn this shirt since I was sixteen," he muttered. "I guess I've grown a little since then."

There was silence for a moment, and then Naruto said, "I'm sorry. I've been acting weird all week because of BCG, and you've taken the brunt of it." He rubbed the cast, and looked down.

"Would you like to tell me about it? Mei explained what was going on a little bit, but I don't know your side of the story," Gaara said, his voice gentle.

"Mei did?" Naruto asked, and the redness was back. "Great."

It was quiet, and the wind blew through, ruffling their hair, then it died.

Gaara opened his mouth, but Naruto didn't let him speak.

"You know how Tsunade is my godmother?" Gaara nodded. "Well, I didn't know it until I was about twelve. I was raised in an orphanage because the police thought I didn't have parents. Well, they were right, they had died, they just didn't realize that they had mistaken my parentage. They thought I was a bastard child of one of the female gang members in the gang war." Naruto blinked, and then turned to Gaara, frowning, "You know, the one twenty years ago?" Gaara nodded.

Naruto sighed and leaned back, "So, they placed me in the orphanage, and of course they had to tell the heads where they found me, and so, at the orphanage, I was dubbed Child of the Gangs. I wasn't even one year old, and I didn't even know my real name until I was eight.

"It was hard, living at the orphanage, knowing that you weren't wanted, at all. Anytime a couple might have taken interest in me, the heads would tell them that they wouldn't want a future gang member, or some such. You know, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Other than that, they ignored me, unless I did something wrong."

Naruto smiled, "So, I just started to do all sorts of bad things: stealing pastries from the kitchen, deliberately making messes, doing pranks, all sorts of things. Even if they would only stop ignoring me to make a negative comment, it would have been enough. After a while, though, they just stopped caring, even when I did something wrong. It was like they expected it, and they would just clean up my mess instead of making me do it.

"I couldn't take it anymore, and I ran away.

"I didn't know where I was going, I just needed to get away. Away from all the cold stares." Naruto gave a short humorless laugh, "Instead, I walked into a trap. The head guardian had noticed I was gone, and began to call the police, who informed anyone that I was gone. The town knew that I existed, but as long as I was in the orphanage, I was relatively safe.

"Yet, there I was, eight years old, wandering down what I thought was an empty sidewalk. I was hungry at the time; I hadn't eaten anything since that morning. Then I bumped into a man. I looked up, and noticed I was surrounded. I tried to get away, but they had me trapped, so I did the next best thing, I made myself as small of a target as I could, tucking my head under my hands."

Naruto let out a shaky breath, "I don't know how long they beat me. Probably not as long as I imagined, when I thought no one would save me." Naruto let out a wistful smile, "Then Tsunade came into the fray, and disarmed everyone, and scooped me up. I remember looking at her, and thinking she was an angel, her hair was billowing out, and she was wearing white. If she was an angel, then I thought I wouldn't mind dying.

"I was happy, though, when I found out she wasn't an angel because it meant that someone did care on this earth.

"I remember, even now, what she had said to the guys who were pounding on me, she asked them, 'How can you even go home and look your child in the eyes after beating one defenseless child?' A woman cried out, saying something about me being the child of the gangs," Naruto laughed. "Tsunade's glare was so cold, that I shivered, and I was the one she had saved. Tsunade answered, 'A child doesn't carry his parents' sins. If they did, then all of your children would be suffering in the lowest ring of hell right now.' Then she stormed off, with me cradled in her arms.

"I never wanted to leave her arms, but I had to, eventually. She wanted to check me into a hospital and get my wounds cleaned. It turns out that I had a broken rib, and bruises all over my body. Tsunade had come in after getting me tended to, and rubbed my head. She said I was a smart boy, protecting my head.

"That was the first kind thing anyone had said, and I basked in it for days.

"The head guardian came in a day after I was checked in. She began to berate me on how troublesome I was being, expecting her to visit me in the hospital and creating trouble for the whole town. It hurt, after Tsunade, a stranger, had treated me like a human being, it hurt being treated worse than dirt by someone who knew me for eight years.

"Luckily, Tsunade came in at that moment. The head guardian saw her, and apologized for having an orphan waste her time.

"Tsunade looked over at me, and grabbed the head guardian, leaving me alone. I don't know what Tsunade said to her, or what the head guardian told her, all I knew was that after that day, I was officially Tsunade's son." Naruto smiled. "Tsunade gave me an official name, too. I was Naruto, but I didn't have a last name, yet. She said that she had a theory about me, and that until it was proven true or false, that she wouldn't give me a last name.

"And with that, I went to a private school. I was behind everyone, but Tsunade helped me, and Sakura tutored me. I barely knew my ABCs, and I was supposed to be in third grade.

"Anyway, I caught up enough to kept an average grade in my classes. Tsunade taught me defensive techniques in the dojo, so I could protect myself from the civilians who held a grudge against the gangs. Pretty much everybody did, especially during that year, when the Uchiha clan was massacred. I had nothing to do with it, but as it was, I was the only thing they had to throw their anger and frustration out on.

"Time went on, and people stopped trying to hurt me. Part of it was because I could protect myself now, and I was faster than most kids at that age. Part of it was because I now had friends that would walk with me home, and they weren't just street punks that they wouldn't feel bad about getting in the line of fire. I had Shikamaru, Sakura, and Chouji that year, and then when I was nine, Sasuke joined the party.

"I guess you know that Shikamaru's family is very well off, and somewhat famous in certain circles, so no one wanted to hurt him, Sakura was a girl, and no one would hurt her." Naruto paused, "Chouji, well, he's Chouji, and his family has a history in being sumo wrestlers, and no one wanted to mess with him. Then with Sasuke added to the group, no one messed with me. If Uchiha Sasuke, whose whole clan was massacred by what presumably created me, could walk with me, what right did the civilians have in trying to hurt me?

"They must have been missing their glasses because Sasuke never 'walked' with me. He was heading to the dojo, and I happened to tag along. It wasn't until I was thirteen that Sasuke even thought of me as anything other than a nuisance." Naruto stopped, and then blinked. "Oh, I'm getting ahead of myself.

"It was when I was twelve that Tsunade finally gave me my last name. Uzumaki Naruto," he smiled. "She told me that I was her godson, that my parent's names were Kushina and Minato. She gave me my mother's last name because my father was well-known for martial arts, and no one knew that they had gotten married."

Naruto eyes darkened, "Tsunade told me that they had been attacked a couple months after I was born by the Bloody Cloud Gang. Their target was me, for some reason, she never could explain that, but my mother and father died, protecting me.

"That's why I want you to call me when you leave work. I don't want you to get hurt because of me. Even if they attacked you because you were just walking by, at least I would know that you were late, and I could call someone for help before going to find you. Many problems come from not knowing, and if you called, I'd know that you were in trouble and could call the police, and get some help so that nothing worse happened.

"I'm not trying to take away your freedom," Naruto told him, looking him in the eyes. "I just don't want you to get hurt without need."

Gaara looked down, and then said, "Mei...explained a few things. I understand it better, now. I didn't see things from your perspective, and then it occurred to me that my coming home late was similar to me waking up without you there. It's not a pleasant feeling because I didn't know where you were, if BCG had kidnapped you again. I even went over to Sai's to make sure that hadn't happened."

Naruto made a face. "I don't understand him, and he's always making fun of me. I'm sure he does it on purpose, too. There's no way he could say the same things over and over again without knowing that I don't like it."

"I think a lot of people say things just to see how you'd react."

The blond frowned at him, and then said, "Who else is saying things about me?"

The red head shook his head, a small smile appearing on his face, before he asked, "If you're supposed to meet Tsunade, then shouldn't you be at the apartment?"

"Aw, shoot," the blond moaned, and then he stood up. "And you ran for like two miles, which is amazing because you don't go outside that often. You must really not have wanted to see me," he grinned at Gaara.

He glared at Naruto, and stood up. "Shut-"

"Well, well, well, look what I found! Two ridiculously handsome men, one of which was supposed to meet me for dinner," Naruto winced, and Gaara found him pitying the blond. There was no hiding the venom in Tsunade's voice.

"Gr-Granny!" Naruto said, plastering on a smile and heading over to the red car, "I was just heading back to the apartment to meet you!"

"Oh were you? 'Cause I've been watching you, and you and your boyfriend looked like you were having an enjoyable time. If I were you, I would have just ditched my guardian to go to the movies instead," her voice oozed with sarcasm.

Gaara turned to her frowning, she was sitting in a red mustang, the passenger side window was rolled down. Naruto was blushing.

Tsunade lowered the sunglasses, and said, "Oh, it's Gaara." She looked at Naruto and said, "Sorry, I thought you ditched me for some guy that wasn't worth your time. Not Gaara." Tsunade paused, and then said, "Why don't you come to dinner with us, Gaara?" Her voice broke no arguments, and Naruto scrambled into the back of her car, letting the red head sit up front.

Tsunade moved back onto the road; no cars were coming. She drove a few blocks down before breaking the silence, "Why are you in Konoha, Gaara?"

"I thought someone was gone," he muttered.

"What was that?"

"He said that he missed me," Naruto said, a pleased smile on his face.

Gaara turned around and glared at him.

"I didn't say that."

"Could have fooled me," the blond said beaming at him.

"Boys, boys," Tsunade said. "Don't make me separate you."

A silence permeated the car as both the red head and the blond stared at the woman. Tsunade chuckled, and then asked, "So, Gaara, what are your plans for the future?"

The red head looked at her with curiosity, and then looked out at the road flashing by them. "I haven't really thought about it," he said. "All I was doing was writing, and I was content just doing that."

"Hmm," Tsunade mused. "Well, I talked to your editor-in-chief, Terumi Mei, and she said that she was going to be moving back to her hometown soon."

"Granny," Naruto said, not hiding his suspicion. "Why are you talking to Gaara's boss?"

"You know how Jiraiya is, when he heard that an attractive woman was in charge at his rivaling newspaper, of course he went to investigate. Then _I_ had to go and clean up the mess he made," Tsunade growled at the road.

"Oh."

Tsunade laughed, "What? Did you think that I'm so protective of you that I'd do a background check on your love interest?"

Naruto yelped, and leaned up, clamping Tsunade's mouth. "Granny! Only parents are supposed to embarrass their kids," Naruto yelled out, embarrassed, his face turning a dark shade of red.

"Naruto," Gaara said, trying to remove tan hands away from Tsunade's head. "Let go of Tsunade, she's the driver."

"What?" the blond blinked at him, then looked down. "Oh." He removed his hands, and relaxed into the back seat.

"And get your seat belt on brat, I don't want to be pulled over for something that can be avoided," Tsunade snapped at him. He complied, and then she said, "Besides, children completely ruin a parent's social life, and the easiest way to get back at them is to embarrass them." Tsunade grinned viciously at the road, "To tell the truth, that's not even the whole reason. We just enjoy making our brat's blush and stammer because only we can do it." Then she said, "Plus, I was really hurt when I heard that you were eating Gaara's cooking, but you never ate any of mine."

"That's 'cause you can't cook," Naruto griped.

"I can too."

"You call charred food cooking?"

"If you had nothing else to eat, then it would be the best thing on earth."

"I feel for anyone who's ever lost in the woods with you," the blond said wincing.

"You were lost in the woods with me, once," she pointed out.

"I know. I feel for me," he said with remorse.

"This is the thanks I get for taking in a brat. The next time I see a poor orphan boy on the street, remind me to not pick him up," Tsunade grumbled, but she was smiling.

"I'm always thankful for you picking me up, Granny. Just not so thankful for your terrible cooking," he added with an impish smirk.

"Brat," she grumbled, but said no more, focusing on the road that had picked up more cars as they made their way towards the middle of Konoha.

Naruto grinned at Gaara, and then looked out the window. At first he didn't say anything, but then he started pointing out different sights, stores, and restaurants to the red head. He nodded each time the blond pointed things out, but didn't really focus on any of them.

It wasn't much longer until Naruto pointed out the building that they were going to eat at. Gaara stared at the lit up building, and its simple, but luxurious facade. There was no indication as to what the restaurant was called, but Gaara was sure that everyone who went in, knew it by the time they came out.

Tsunade pulled up next to the valet, and they got out. While she went to have a 'chat' with the valet attendant, Gaara pulled Naruto to the side, and hissed into his ear, "I can't afford a place like this."

Naruto smiled, and whispered, "I can't, either. Granny invited you, though, she'll pay for the bill. It would be rude to invite someone who would have to leave because they can't afford it. How much does a reporter get paid?"

Gaara raised a brow, "Paid? A reporter roughly makes minimum wage for each article, more if it's longer, or if it's on the front page. I get paid about double minimum wage for every story I write because I'm a section editor. The only way to make money in journalism is to write a book, and then hope it will become a movie."

Naruto mused on it for a moment, and then asked, "How much does Mei get paid?"

"Mei? Well, she's new, so probably not as much as the Veteran, so maybe three times minimum wage?" Gaara pondered it for a moment, and then said, "We just don't get paid enough to afford places like this, but I think that's true of almost any job, at least until you become so good at it that you're the best in your area. You're working hard to become the best martial artist, so while you have little now, when you're the best, you'll make a lot more."

The blond gave him a pleased smile, "You said, 'when,' not 'if.'

"Of course," Gaara said, frowning at him. "You're too determined to not become the best at martial arts."

"Thanks, Gaara. You may not realize it, but that means a lot to me. After so long of hearing people laugh or say, 'if' having someone say, 'when' really helps."

"All right! Now that the car is taken care of, let's go eat!" Tsunade said, wrapping her arms around either man, and walking in with them.

"Granny! Let go! I'm not going to let you get away with pretending we're your escorts like last time!" Naruto wiggled his way out from under Tsunade's arm, and rushed around her to save Gaara.

Tsunade crossed her arms, and said, "Ungrateful brat."

Naruto stuck his tongue out at her.

Then he walked ahead of her, tugging Gaara along. The red head sighed, and allowed the blond to drag him. Naruto paused inside of the building, and looked back at Tsunade.

"Reservation under Tsunade," she told him.

Naruto nodded, and walked up to the hostess, a firm grip on Gaara's hand. Hearing laughter, he turned to look behind him, and saw Tsunade covering her mouth with her hand. He gave her an icy glare, and then tried to jerk his hand out of Naruto's hand. However, the blond just tightened his grip as he talked with the hostess, making wide gestures with his casted arm.

Gaara narrowed his eyes at the hostess, and hoped she felt the hostility he was directing towards her. She didn't, at first, and then she glanced over and saw him, freezing, and then she turned to Naruto, shaking.

"Um, your table is this way," a forced smile on her face, and she led them to their table, before fleeing back to her position.

"That was really strange," Naruto said, frowning. "One minute she was okay, and then the next it looked like she saw a ghost."

"Or an angry red he-" Tsunade coughed as Gaara tapped her shin, glaring at her.

"Angry red? Angry red what, Granny?" Naruto asked.

"Nothing," she sang, winking at Gaara, who glowered across the table at her.

Naruto glanced between them, frowning, and was about to ask them something, when their server arrived.

"My name is Jack, and I'll be your server tonight," he said, lifting each of their glasses in turn, and with a suave flick of his wrist, and filled them. "Are there any other drinks you would like besides water?"

"No, thank you," Tsunade said, a flirty smile on her face. "We'll all be driving tonight, except the blond, but he's still not legal, the poor thing, no?"

The man returned the smile with a polished completeness, and said, "It's a sad day when a man can't drink because he's not legal."

"Oi, Granny, are you trying to make me mad? We can take this outside, and when I beat you, you'll have to turn the dojo over to me," Naruto said with a murderous grin.

Gaara eyed the blond who was leaning back into his chair. To anyone just looking at him, they'd think he was lazy, the way he slumped back into the chair, an arm slung over the back, but there was a tension within his body that Gaara could see; a thrumming passion to fight after so long of not being able to do anything but run.

Tsunade leaned forward, light reflecting off her lip gloss, and picked up her glass with an elegant flick, and said, "Oh? You think you can take me with a broken arm? Besides, I don't think anyone who got a black eye from _Konohamaru_ is fit for head. That's just sad. I think I'll have to replace you with him." Her eyes narrowed at the blond, who was now tense, trying not to show his desire to leap up and defend himself and his student.

"Dear customer, this saddens me to say, but if you fight on our premises, my boss will be forced to call the police, and we would hate to do such a thing for such a divine regular customer," their server said, bowing his head.

Naruto relaxed, and Tsunade twirled the water in her glass, and said, "Sorry, we'll keep it on a down low here."

"Thank you, dear customer," their server handed over the menus. "Now, if I could interest you in our..."

The man's voice faded out as Gaara eyed Naruto over the top of their menu. The blond's eyes were bright, and he would look between his menu and the waiter with a sort of glow, as if the teasing and threatening had eased him, and created an affable energy that was contagious. The server was returning the blond's conversation with an air that was just as amicable as the blond's, while before he had just been working.

He watched as Naruto's lips moved up and down in conversation, as his tongue flickered back and forth creating clicks and sounds for words. It was strange to imagine that mouth touching another's. A way to show love, affection. He had never considered kissing someone, as he had no time or use for a thing like that.

He blinked as something flashed in front of his eyes, "Yoo-hoo, Gaara?"

"What?" he asked, glaring at the blond.

Naruto pouted at him, and said, "You're holding up the server."

"Hmm?" Gaara looked up at the server with a questioning glance.

"What will you be having this night?" the man asked.

"Whatever he's having," Gaara said, nodding towards the blond.

The man smiled, and tilted his head, "Thank you, I'll return soon to refill your glasses."

Gaara sat and watched as Tsunade and Naruto talked, their voices getting louder, but remaining warm and genial. The red head looked around, and noticed that people would look over occasionally, when Naruto laughed loud and free, but it was only the more conservative customers who frowned at the blond. Every one else was being swept along with Naruto's warmhearted laughter, and soon the dining area was buzzing with warm voices and hearty laughter; smiles all around, and even the conservative customers were loosening up when their dinner came to rest on their table.

"Thank you," the server said to Naruto, a smile on his face.

Naruto blinked at the man, a frown showing his confusion.

Tsunade laughed, and said, "Don't bother, he doesn't get it." She winked over at Gaara, and picked up her fork.

The meal was like dust to Gaara. He ate with a mechanical precision, and the only thing he took in was Naruto, finding his laughter and lightness in his meal.

The food did not stop the blond from his pleasant conversation with Tsunade, rather it enhanced it. Their eyes would lock in sporadic intervals, and then the blond returned a comment to Tsunade's question, or return a jab.

By the time they had finished their dinner, the dining area was on a high of happiness and geniality that even when a waiter accidentally tripped and spilled a red soup on the expensive white dress of a woman, she laughed it off. Gaara couldn't hear what she said, but got a feeling that she thought the soup had created an interesting design on her white dress.

Tsunade was twirling her water again, when the server returned to their table. "Can I interest any of you in dessert?"

Naruto gave Gaara an impish grin, but shook his head, "I'm full." Tsunade nodded in agreement, and brought out her card, handing it to the server. He left, but brought it back with a quickness that the red head was sure stemmed from Naruto's amicableness.

They left soon after, with Naruto leaving behind a trail of pleasantness and warmth.

Tsunade drove them to Gaara's car, and waved goodbye. Their trip back to Suna was quiet; Naruto dozed on the ride back home. It was almost ten by the time they got there, and Naruto trudged off to his room to sleep, while Gaara worked for three hours before consistent yawns had him heading to bed.

* * *

><p>Gaara woke when he bounced up from Naruto's jumping into his bed. He had no time to react as the blond latched onto his body like an octopus. The blond snuggled into his body, resting his head against his chest.<p>

"Gaara," Naruto sang, his eyes closed, not noticing that the red head was awake. "It's time to wake up!"

Gaara looked down at the pile of spiky blond hair, and gave a relaxed smile. He wrapped his arm around the blond, and rubbed his hand through the golden spikes with a gentle ease. He watched as Naruto's eyes popped open, and he lifted his head up to look at Gaara.

Sea foam met ocean, intermingling for a moment, and then the oceanic eyes sparkled with a brilliant light.

"Gaara," Naruto breathed, and he leaned up to the red head, moving his face closer and closer to the red head, as he tried to scoot back, tried to create space between them, but could go no farther as his back hit the headboard.

Gaara could feel Naruto's breath mingling with his own.

Then his cell phone rang.

They froze for a second, hearts beating fast, and then Naruto sighed relaxing his body. He dropped his head onto Gaara's shoulder, and said, "Damn it."

Gaara sat completely still for another second as his heart throbbed faster than it had during his impromptu run the night before. Then he, too, sighed, and slipped out from under Naruto, and reached for his phone.

There was an accident near his home, and he was requested to report it. He flipped the phone closed, and looked at the blond who was laying on his bed, snuggling into his pillow. He smiled, before getting dress and heading to the scene of the accident.

* * *

><p>AN:

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it!

_B/N:_

_Aren't Gaara and Naruto so effing cute! *fangirl*_


	16. Chapter 16: Going to Bed

**Title**: Iris

**Author**: LadySable (LiveJournal)/StoryBard(here)

**Pairings**: GaaNaruGaa

**Rating**: T

**WARNINGS**: This will have heterosexuality and homosexuality. If either offend you, this is not the story for you.

**Disclaimer**: The characters are property of Masashi Kishimoto. I do not make money from this fan made work. I must add that I do not own Pokemon, it belongs to its owner.

**Summary**: AU/AR Gaara adopts a pet unlike any other.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 16: Going to Bed<strong>

Gaara was at his desk, a single desk light on in the dark room, pouring over the notes and interviews he'd gotten from people involved with the Bloody Cloud Gang. He frowned as his eyes passed over Naruto's name. The blond had consented to an interview for his article, but Gaara was uneasy with using quotes and information about someone he considered more than just a friend.

His concentration was shattered by a whimper.

He stood up, alarmed, and slipped out of his room in a sudden need to investigate the sound. He walked down the short hallway, but paused outside of Naruto's door, hearing the static cries and whimpers from inside there.

He twisted the doorknob with a careful precision, easing the door open, wincing whenever it creaked, and then slipped into the dim room that was only lit by a street light from the parking lot.

He blinked as he looked around the room, eyeing small piles of dirty, or maybe clean, laundry here and there. The simple nightstand had a pile of change, and a picture of...himself? The red head peered at the picture, and groaned as he realized that, not only did Temari and Naruto share an interest in TV shows, but they also shared an interest in taking pictures of him when he wasn't aware of it. He was sure that they were trading the pictures like elementary children traded Pokemon cards.

He was startled out of his musings when the body on the bed started thrashing, and then rolled up into a ball, whimpering.

Gaara made a careful trek across the floor to the bed, and leaned over it, watching the blond.

"Naruto?" he breathed, unsure of what to do. He reached down and touched the blond's shoulder intent on waking him up, but he was grabbed by Naruto.

The blond muttered furious incoherent words, before pulling Gaara across himself into the space between him and the wall. Gaara stared up at the ceiling, his heart beating fast from the suddenness of the movement. Then Naruto curled into his body, and snuggled, drops of water falling from his eyes. Then he quieted and relaxed.

Gaara sat up, ready to leave, but his wrist was gripped by a tan hand. He sighed, and lay back down, sinking into the bed.

"There's not enough room for two people on a twin bed, Pet," he said, even though he knew the blond wouldn't hear him. There was a lifting in Naruto's cheeks, and Gaara returned the smile he knew was on the blond's face.

Gaara sighed, and stared at the ceiling, while Naruto cuddled into him. His hand wrapped around the blond, nesting itself into the blond locks. He was soon drifting with the blond in slumber.

He woke around two hours later to an alarm, and a yelp. He gave the blond next to him a dark look through slitted eyes, and muttered, "T's your faul, nao lemme' sleep."

He didn't hear the blond's response as he drifted back into slumber.

There was a shaking, and Gaara growled, as he opened his eyes, ready to kill whoever woke him up, again. When he looked up to give a black glower at the person shaking him, he desisted. Naruto was avoiding his gaze, and fidgeting.

"U-Um, It's time to get up, Gaara," he said, looking at his ramen poster as if he was an art critic, and determined to find every flaw.

"I'm up. What's wrong?"

Naruto looked at him in a flash, and then his eyes bounced back to his poster as he took a step back and blushed. "W-Wrong? N-Nothing's wrong, because I did not wake up to you in my bed, and I am not waking you up in my bed," Naruto rocked on his heels. Then he looked at Gaara, and blushing with a red fury, asked, "D-Did you do something to me?"

Gaara watched his blond with a bemused expression. "What do you mean by 'did you do something to me'?"

"Nothing," he said in a pipsqueak voice.

The red head rubbed his hand through his hair, and said, "Naruto, I didn't do anything. I heard sounds, and came in to check on you. You were having a nightmare, and when I tried to calm you down, you nabbed me, and wouldn't let go."

The blush eased off his face, and was replaced by a trouble looked, "Oh, yeah. I've been having a lot of those lately. Don't worry about it, though," he said, waving off Gaara's concern.

"Sometimes nightmares are there to show you that you haven't dealt with your issues," Gaara said in a soft voice.

"Heh," Naruto said, a small grin on his face. "Yeah, I don't think it'll be taken care of until I know BCG is gone. They did a number on my friends; you could have gotten hurt," Naruto added, his voice soft, and his eyes avoided Gaara's.

"What did you dream of?" he asked.

Naruto gave him a look, and said, "I don't ask you what you dream of when you have nightmares."

"I don't have them, anymore," Gaara said.

"And if you did?"

The red head frowned. "It would be hard for me to tell you, I'm not used to someone caring for me, but I would eventually do it because you would understand, and expect the same thing from me," he said meeting the blond's eyes.

He was surprised by the arms that wrapped around him a second later, pushing him over enough that he had to catch himself on the bed from the exuberant hug.

"Gaara!" Naruto exclaimed, his voice muffled by Gaara's shoulder. He looked down at the mop of yellow hair in his face, frowning and smiling at the same time, enjoying the warmth of having someone close, the touch of another person, but unsure of how to react.

The blond lifted himself away from Gaara, took one look at his face, and ducked back down, hiding his face in the red head's chest.

"Um, Naruto," Gaara said after a moment. "You're cutting off the circulation to my legs."

"Oh, sorry, um, you just made me really happy. I mean, you were thinking about me," Naruto mumbled, blushing. He got off of Gaara, and stood, fidgeting.

"I-I didn't say you had to get up," Gaara muttered, looking away. Naruto smiled, and sat down next to him, leaning his head against the red head's shoulder. "Do you want to tell me about your dream?" he asked, wrapping an arm around the blond, hesitating whenever Naruto moved, before resting his hand on the blond's shoulder.

"I don't want to say it," Naruto muttered, snuggling deeper into the red head. "If I say it, it might come true."

"Or, it'll stop the possibility, and you'll feel better getting it off your chest," Gaara murmured into his hair.

Naruto sighed, and said, "You're not going to let this go, huh?" It was quiet for a moment. "Well, I dunno, it starts out really nice," he said, his voice low and husky, he gave Gaara a quick glance, his cheeks tinged red, before coughing, and continuing. "Then it goes bad. You're kidnapped, and I have to save you or something," he amended when Gaara tapped him on the head. "But I don't make it, and they win."

"Is that all?"

"Is that all? That would kill me, Gaara," Naruto said, leaning out of his embrace, and looking at him. "I don't want you to get hurt, especially if it's because of me."

Gaara glanced at Naruto, and said, "We're humans, we get hurt all the time, and we heal all the time. Even those who lose a limb, or a sense, learn how to work around it, and continue on with life. As long as we don't die, we'll get better.

"Humans will never be perfect, but we survive and live for another day. If I get hurt, it won't be because of you, it'll be because of circumstance, and things that are outside of my ability to control. You wouldn't want me to blame myself for your broken arm, would you?" Gaara smiled, "Besides, it wouldn't be so bad getting hurt, if you're there to help me along."

Naruto blinked, and then laughed, "You're so sappy. Who would have guessed?"

He sent Naruto a glare through red locks, and then said, "It's your fault. I would have never said something like that three months ago."

Naruto smiled, and then stood up, wiggling his hand out of Gaara's grasp, and gave one loud clap. "Okay! Time to get ready for the day, Gaara! You have work, and I'll make breakfast," he added with a mischievous grin.

"Don't make breakfast," Gaara said, standing up.

"What? Why not?" the blond frowned.

Gaara glanced over at Naruto, and said, "Because you'll just waste good food by burning it."

Then he slipped out of the room, to Naruto's indignant cry. He was taking off his shirt, when Naruto passed by the bathroom, and said, loud enough for Gaara to hear through the door, "I'm going to make you take that back."

Gaara entered the shower with a smile.

* * *

><p>"What's got that smile on your face, little brother?" Kankuro asked as he entered the office in his usual morning ritual. He lifted a plastic bag, and grinned, "Look, I got donuts and milk for our breakfast this morning."<p>

"Donuts?" Gaara said a little too eager, wincing as he remembered the burnt oatmeal Naruto tried to force him to eat that morning.

Kankuro set the bag on his desk, and Gaara moved the articles out of the way. The brunette emptied the bag, handing Gaara a chocolate donut, and white milk, while he took a glazed donut and a chocolate milk before sitting down in a chair across from Gaara. "So? Are you going to tell me why you're smiling? Wait," he said, lifting a hand, a glint in his eyes. "Let me guess. You slept with someone!" he declared pointing a finger at the red head who was taking a bite of his donut and almost choked.

"Oh my God! I was right? Who's the bastard? I'll kill them!" Kankuro said standing up.

"Kankuro, sit down. You have no right to kill him, or anyone else," he added with a frown. "Wait, do you mean sleep as in sleeping next to, or sleep as in having sex with someone?"

"The last one," Kankuro said, pouting. "I've always wanted to be the big brother who tortures the guy who messes with his little sister-Ow!" Kankuro cried out, as Gaara threw his paperweight at him. "I wasn't calling you a girl! I was going to say, but since I don't have a little sister, that moved to my little brother!"

Gaara glared at him, "Well, I meant the first one, and I won't let you torture him."

Kankuro sniffed, "You deserve someone better than the blond,"

"Sakura deserves someone better than you," Gaara jabbed. The brunette's face fell, and he a stab of guilt pierced him. "I take it she's not returning your affections?"

"No," Kankuro moaned. "It turns out that she and Karin have a lot in common, you know, both of them loved jerks for guys, and they're both broken hearted over both of the guys, and finally has someone who understands that, and they're taking advantage of it."

"Well, um," Gaara fumbled. "If you really like her, then, um, just be there for her. Maybe they'll both see that you're serious and turn their eyes on you. Just don't be a nuisance."

"Because you only want me to be a nuisance to you, right?" Kankuro asked, nibbling on his donut.

Gaara leaned back, and watched the brunette with care, noting Kankuro's wide, watery eyes, and the pout he was sure was present, if it weren't for the donut. "I'd rather you get to work," he said, ignoring Kankuro's hurt look.

"Even after I brought you donuts and milk, jeez," Kankuro sulked.

"Thank you," Gaara said with gratitude. "Naruto tried to force burnt oatmeal down my throat."

Kankuro took a bite of donut, and asked, "How do you burn oatmeal?"

"I don't know, I never remembered being that bad at cooking, even when I was five," he said, musing. "I think he gets distracted by things while cooking, and, even if he's going through the motions, he forgets he's cooking and then it's too late; the food's burnt."

"Huh, strange," Kankuro said. Then he asked, "By the way, were you here earlier? Like thirty minutes ago?"

Gaara rummaged through the articles on his desk, and said, "No, I just got here, right before you came by with the donuts."

"This is seriously creepy, but I could have sworn that you, or someone who could be your look alike was here," Kankuro shook his head. "They were also in your office, so you better check to make sure none of your files were taken."

Gaara looked up from the articles, and frowned, "Are you sure? You didn't just mistake Mei for me, did you?"

Kankuro gave him a dull look, "I'm not dumb enough to mistake you for Mei, Gaara. She has auburn hair, and you have red hair. The guy looked just like you, down to your treads, scar, and birthmark."

"Strange," Gaara commented, then said, "But I don't keep any important documentation here. All of it's at home, locked up in my file cabinet. So, don't worry."

Kankuro glared at him, and said, "I'll worry if I want to, you're my brother, and I don't like people sneaking around here looking like you."

"How's it going with the puppet show?" Gaara asked, uninterested.

"It's awesome! I mean, there's all these different things they do, like they even have people in the background that you don't notice because they're dressed in black, and sometimes one of 'em turns out to be a ninja, and that's how it came about that ninjas wear black!" Kankuro said, excitement pouring out of him as he gestured with enthusiasm.

"Aren't you supposed to be writing about it now?"

"Yeah," Kankuro sulked. "But it's not as much fun writing about it as it is telling about it. Sakura keeps yelling at me, too."

"That's because you never do your job, and you're always bugging Gaara," Sakura said, entering into the red head's office. "I'm sorry, Gaara, we just can't seem to keep this knucklehead under our thumb."

Gaara smirked, and flipped the page of an article, "Well, he is my brother, so I'm partially responsible for him, too."

Kankuro looked between them, and said, "Why are you talking about me as if I'm not here? It's not very polite," he added with a huff, before leaving Gaara's office.

Sakura laughed, and waved goodbye to Gaara.

* * *

><p>Gaara was walking home from work when he got the impression that someone was watching him. He frowned, and turned around, looking. He didn't want to wave the feeling off because of the article and BCG, and, yet, it seemed silly when he looked behind him, and saw the crowd milling about.<p>

The feeling continued, as he walked towards his home. It wasn't a bad feeling, just uneasy. He didn't perceive that the person watching him wanted to harm him, but it was unnerving. The familiarity in the stare, though, was disconcerting; like he was watching himself.

He turned when he got to a place where there were no hiding spots, and looked around. Yet, no one was there. He was meticulous in his search, but, despite the uneasy feeling still there, he saw no one.

He continued home, but the feeling never left, even when he reached his house. He gave one more glance around the area, yet he still saw nothing.

Gaara entered the house and frowned when the feeling of being watched left. He was about to go outside and test his theory, but he was interrupted by a bang, and a yell.

"Gaara! Watch out!" Naruto shouted.

He took Naruto's advice, and before even looking to see what was going on, he slid off to the side, out of the way, just as Sasuke was slammed into the door, Naruto pinning him to it.

"Hah!" Naruto yelled. Then Sasuke smirked, and under-swiped Naruto's legs, making the blond lose his balance just enough that the black haired man turned Naruto, pinning him to the door, smashing Naruto's face into it, the blond's good arm restrained against his back.

"What was that, idiot?" Sasuke hissed.

Naruto growled, and, with his free arm, elbowed the dark headed man, getting enough space for him to roundhouse kick Sasuke into the couch, causing the man to flip over it, knocking into Gaara's coffee table. The blond bounded over the couch, and pounced onto the man, punching Sasuke in the face.

They started to wrestle on the floor, and Gaara glowered at them, before striding over to the two men wrestling on his floor. Before they even knew he was there, he grabbed both of their heads, and knocked them together, causing them to yelp in pain, and said, "I win. Now pick up my coffee table, and sit on the couch like good little boys."

Naruto pouted at the red head, and Sasuke glowered at him, before going to do his bidding. Gaara gave them one last glare, and headed to the kitchen to make dinner.

"I didn't know your girlfriend was so touchy about her furniture, Naruto," Sasuke grumbled, then he yelped as Naruto threw a pillow at him.

"Gaara's not a girl!" Naruto yelled at him. "He could kick your ass if he wanted to!"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah! He just did, stoopid!" Naruto stuck his tongue out at Sasuke.

"Naruto, what's Sasuke doing here, still?" Gaara asked from the kitchen. "From your text, you made it sound like he would be leaving before I got here."

"Well, that's what I thought, too," Naruto grumbled. "What are you still doing here, Sasuke?"

Sasuke smirked at the two men, and said, "I'm your new neighbor."

Naruto jumped up, a horrified look on his face, "Y-You took Shino's house? You're cruel! I was saving it for him until he got back!"

Sasuke threw a pillow at Naruto, and glowered at him, "I'm only staying there until BCG captures you again. With me around, this time, we'll manage to capture them, and I can get Itachi."

"Itachi? But Itachi wasn't even there when they first captured me."

"That was that incident, he might be there the next time," Sasuke said, as if Naruto was an idiot.

"Yeah, yeah, just go dig your own grave," Naruto grumbled.

"Naruto," Gaara said, before tossing the blond something. Naruto caught it, and grinned.

"Here, Sasuke, your face needs some carrots on it from my punch," Naruto said with a vicious smile.

The blond was trying to force the carrots onto Sasuke's face when someone knocked on the door.

"I'll get it," the blond sang.

He opened the door, and screamed, "Shark man!"

"Shut it, idiot," Sasuke said. "He's my roommate. He's going to help me get Itachi."

"Why are his teeth pointed?" Naruto asked, staring at the man's mouth as he came into the apartment.

The man cocked his head in Naruto's direction, and said, "Because I'm part shark." He gave Naruto a wide smile, showing off all of his teeth.

"Really?" the blond asked. "How do you become part shark?"

"Well, you see, when a human woman, and a male shark-"

Sasuke's hand wrapped around the man's mouth, "No more vulgar talk, and if you bite my hand, I will never buy you any more octopus meat."

The man glared, and Sasuke removed his hand, making a face as he wiped it on his pants. "Naruto, this is Suigetsu. Suigetsu this is Naruto, and the old maid in the kitchen is-"

He was cut off as Naruto swiped Sasuke's feet underneath him, "Gaara's not a woman! Jeez! You'd think you were half blind, or something! You need to get glasses."

"You know, glasses would be kind of hot," Suigetsu said, as he took out a bottle of water from the pack on his back. He started sipping on it, and then asked, "So, who's the red head in the kitchen?"

"That's Gaara," Naruto said, giving the black haired man on the floor a pointed glare, before dropping the bag of carrots onto him.

"If you guys start fighting again, I will kick you out, and you can forget about dinner, Naruto," Gaara said from the kitchen.

Sasuke smirked, and lunged up, ready to punch Naruto, but Suigetsu stopped him.

"If you get beaten up now, what's going to happen if your friend's taken tomorrow? You'll be too sore to even fight Itachi, let alone beat him."

Sasuke sulked, but backed off.

Gaara turned and gave them an apathetic look, before asking, "Would you two like to stay over for dinner?"

"Thank you, but no," Suigetsu said, drinking more of his water. "We ordered sushi, and we wouldn't want it to go to waste." The light blue haired man turned to Sasuke, and said, "Let's go, he'll be here soon, and you stayed longer than your welcome."

Naruto watched as the men left Gaara's apartment, frowning.

Then he turned to Gaara, and asked, "Are shark men real?"

* * *

><p>AN:

**Thank you**, readers, for **50** reviews! *squeee!*

I had way too much fun with this chapter. That's probably why it's not as long...

So first off, the image of them trading Gaara's pictures like Pokemon cards wouldn't escape me, and I ran off a spoof, and a drawing, before coming to this conclusion:

Temari and Naruto soon join forces with Kankuro and start to stockpile embarrassing/adorable photos of Gaara. At the end of each year, they pool their resources, and the person who takes the most embarrassing picture rules over the other two siblings or Naruto for that year. That means if the winner asks one of the losers to grovel, they have to. However, there are rules. 1. Gaara is to _never_ find out about the GMEAPA (Gaara's Most Embarrassing/Adorable Picture Alliance). 2. He _can't_ know that he's getting his photo taken. 3. You can't tell the losers to kill themselves (and yes, sometimes this rule needs to be enforced, since we're dealing with Naruto, Temari, and Kankuro XD ).

And look! It's Suigetsu...and that other guy...(xD) just kidding. Yeah...it's kind of amusing because this is my first time writing Sasuke, meaning that I wrote this before I'd written I'm With You, so those of you who've read I'm With You are probably like, what? 'Cause Sasuke's already made an appearance there, but yes, this is my first Sasuke.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it, and next chapter...we're heading to Konoha!


	17. Chapter 17: The Cast is Off

**Title**: Iris

**Author**: LadySable (LJ)/StoryBard(here)

**Pairings**: GaaNaruGaa

**Rating**: T

**WARNING**: This story has heterosexuality and homosexuality. If either offend you, this is not the story for you.

**Disclaimer**: Characters are property of Masashi Kishimoto. I don't own a Mustang, and I don't think I can even create a Mustang as I can barely fix my car when it breaks down, so, no, it's not mine.

**Summary**: AU/AR Gaara adopts a pet unlike any other.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 17: The Cast is Off<strong>

The rustling of turning pages was the only sound in the waiting room. Gaara looked at each page of the magazine with disinterest, waiting for Naruto. It had been more than an hour.

His ears twitched as he heard the blond's laughter and his happy chattering behind the door. He looked up as the door opened, and Naruto smiled at him.

"Look, Gaara," Naruto said, pointing at his cast free right arm. "It's so pale! It's like it's dead." Naruto stared at the pale skin, flapping his arm around. "Gross, like dead skin, zombie skin!" Naruto grinned at him.

"Because pale skin automatically means you're a zombie," Gaara said, his voice dead.

"If you were a zombie, I'd let you eat my brain, no charge," Naruto said, smiling at him.

"Naruto," the doctor said, his head poking out from behind the door. "I know you said that you have a practice spar on Saturday, but, please, remember that your arm has just healed. Don't exert it too much. I'd prefer it if you dropped out, but I know you're determined to go." He sighed, "I don't want to see you for a year, now, do you hear me?"

"Loud and clear," Naruto said, grimacing. "C'mon, let's go Gaara. I have to start practicing!"

* * *

><p><em>Gaara,<em>

_Good morning! I'm in Konoha, sorry I couldn't wake you. Here's a good morning kiss. ^_^_

_I have to warm up for the practice spar tonight, and Tsunade wants to check up on my arm, make sure it'll be fine and all. Besides, I want to show you my badass skills, so you'll have to forgive me. I'm kicking Sasuke's ass tonight, so cheer for me!_

_This is the third post-it note, so I'll see you later,_

_Naruto_

"He could have called me, instead of wasting post-it notes," Gaara mumbled around the toothbrush, taking down the post-it notes, and putting them in his work pants. He finished getting ready, and headed into work early.

When he got to his office, he took the post-it notes out, and slid them into the manga in his desk. Then he got to work. He worked as fast as he could, trying to finish his work early.

He was eating lunch with Mei, when she said, "Gaara, in four weeks, I'm going back home."

Gaara looked up at her, and asked, "Why are you leaving now?"

Mei tapped her nail on the desk, "Well, no one has stood up to me since that incident with the one man-"

"That's because you poured hot coffee on him for calling you-" Gaara paused, and then stopped when she glared at him.

"As I was saying, no one's stood up to me, so I've officially declared victory over this newspaper, and my city newspaper is missing my personal touch," she smiled. "I miss being home, too."

Then she turned serious, "I'm telling the supervisor to promote you. You may not realize it, but you're a leader under that cold exterior." She smiled, then said, "Don't think this means you're getting out of anything. As a matter of fact, the next four weeks will be the worst in your entire life, so get enough rest, and don't let Honey Boy keep you up all night."

Gaara frowned, "Naruto goes to bed earlier than I do."

"And you don't wake him up?" Mei tutted, "Shame on you. You have a perfectly fit man in bed, just waiting for you to ravish him, and you just let him sleep."

The red head glowered at her, "Is that what people would normally do to their housemate? Ravish them?"

Mei smirked, "Yes, sometimes, if they're intimate. What _would_ you do if Naruto, say, hugged you?"

He blinked, and said, "But he's already done that."

"When?"

"About two weeks ago, he hugged me for the first time," Gaara paused, and looked up at the ceiling. "Ever since then, he's hugged me at least once a day."

"Do you hate it?"

Gaara was silent for a moment, then murmured, "No, it's nice. I enjoy it. Most people don't touch me, and I wouldn't want just anyone touching me, but Naruto is okay."

"MmmHmm, and what if he tried to do something more?"

"More? Why would he want to do more?"

"I wonder," Mei said, pretending to ponder the subject. "Maybe because he likes you, and wants to show it physically?"

"Physically?" Gaara echoed, then he glared at the floor.

Mei smiled, and said, "Yes, like a couple does, you know kissing, and the like."

"Naruto would do that to me...because he likes me more than a friend?"

"Yes, does that bother you?"

He was silent, then, with a hushed voice, said, "I don't think so. It's just strange to think that anyone would want to do that sort of thing to me, and for it to be Naruto...I don't think it would be so bad."

"Good!" Mei said, smiling. "Maybe you should show him that you wouldn't mind."

"I-I wouldn-um, I have work," Gaara fumbled, as he stood up, picking up his wrappers. "That needs to be worked on."

Mei grabbed his wrist, and he looked at her, "You know, if Naruto wins that practice spar, instead of congratulating him, I have something that only you can do that would make the blond happier than a trophy."

"It's just a practice spar, there's no trophy."

"So? You can still give him a prize."

"Like what?" Gaara asked, trying to yank his wrist out of Mei's grasp.

"Here's what you can do..." she said, a smug smile on her face.

* * *

><p>Gaara was sitting on the hard bench, glowering down at the mats for the spar. The crowd around him cheered as a fifteen year old girl beat up a seventeen year old boy. He wouldn't have come this early if he'd known that he'd have to watch all the kids and beginners fight before the main event with the black belts that Naruto was a part of.<p>

They were finally to the brown belts, and Gaara could feel a headache forming. Who knew martial arts was such a big thing in Konoha? Even the mayor was attending, although, from what he'd gathered, the mayor was Tsunade's instructor from when she was younger.

It didn't help his head that his brother would tug on his shirt every five minutes to recap all the horrible things Karin was saying about him. Then he would tell him in great detail about all of her bad attributes, loud enough that the people across the building could hear him, and would look over in puzzlement.

He could feel Kankuro tugging on his shirt, and he turned and glared at him. "What?" he seethed.

Kankuro frowned, and said, "I just wanted to tell you that Naruto was up to fight."

Gaara looked down, and saw that his brother was right. The crowd hushed, and he could feel the animosity from it. He frowned.

"Kankuro," he whispered. "Why is the crowd so antagonistic towards Naruto? You would think after so long of not doing anything gang-like that they would ease up on him."

"You haven't heard?" Kankuro muttered back, keeping an eye on the magenta haired woman talking to Sakura. "There was an attack today in Konoha. It's not so much their dislike for him, but rather what he represents that's got them hostile."

"Why didn't I hear about this?"

"The reporter who investigated it was told to keep his mouth shut, but he's a good friend of mine, so he told me about it. It helps that he owes me money, too," Kankuro grinned. Then said, "Now, shush, or you'll miss Naruto's match."

Gaara glowered at the brunette, then turned his attention to the mats on the ground.

Naruto was hopping back and forth, looking through the crowd anxiously, then he smiled when he saw Gaara. He waved up at him, and then turned towards his opponent.

The blond was wearing pads to protect himself, but it didn't slow down his fluid motion on the mats. His opponent was someone who had just received a black belt, judging from the lack of tape marks on their belt, and by the three white tape marks on Naruto's belt.

Naruto didn't even break a sweat in knocking his opponent down.

He helped his opponent up, and smiled at them. His opponent said something, and they began to laugh, before Tsunade shooed them off the mats.

"Are you enjoying the matches?" Sai asked him during Naruto's second match.

He kept his eyes on the blond, and said, "Yes, it's really interesting." That was an understatement. He'd seen Naruto's fluid movements when he'd worn the stiletto heals, but this was something different. He was so in tune with his body, that it didn't even seem like he was fighting. It was more like he was dancing, but with a partner he wanted to knock down.

"Naruto doesn't have very many techniques, but what he does know, he knows well, and uses them to the best of their abilities in the matches." Sai smiled, "He's a good fighter. I bet it means he's really good in bed."

Gaara glared at him, "Why do you keep asking if we're sleeping together?"

"Well, I've seen him in your bed every morning when I was watching you. You're together in bed so much, is it any wonder how we can't not think about it?"

"You wouldn't have even known about that if you weren't watching us," Gaara trailed off.

Sai laughed, "You two just gravitate towards each other, and it's fun watching you guys blush, or, at least, watching Naruto blush."

Gaara glowered at the dark haired man, and then turned his attention to the mats. He gave the dark haired man a dark look when he realized that he'd missed Naruto, but the dark haired man was talking to a person on the other side of him. He turned, and watched Sasuke's match against Neji.

He was mesmerized by the fight as Neji was able to block every one of Sasuke's attacks, when he heard Naruto's name coming from his right. He turned, and looked in that direction, puzzled when he saw Sai talking to an older man with bandages wrapped around him.

Gaara wondered if he'd been in some sort of accident, but decided it was none of his business, and turned to watch Sasuke get through Neji's defense, when he heard the man ask, "How's the watch on the Child of the Gangs going, Sai?"

The red head turned, eyes narrowing. There was an undertone in the man's voice that he wasn't liking. Something between hatred, and lust, or a mixture of both.

"It's going well, sir," Sai said, giving the man his old blank smile. "There was that scrabble, of course, but they retreated before we could capture them."

"You can do better than that, Sai," the man said, frowning. "I didn't put Uzumaki out as a bait for someone else to get the glory."

A cold fury rushed through Gaara. He didn't know when he stood up, or when he'd started towards the man, but suddenly Sai was there, pushing the red head away from the older man.

"Gaara, Gaara!" Sai said into his ear. "Stop. You can't do anything to him. He's the head of the police in Konoha, Danzou."

The red head stopped moving forward, but he glowered at the old man in front of him.

"Naruto's not bait," Gaara hissed.

"Of course he's not. That's what I meant when I said my boss didn't understand what was going on, and how it could affect Naruto. That's why you can't go to jail for hitting a police officer. You have to be there, to be out here to help him when he needs it."

Gaara took a breath, and then turned to sit back down, ignoring the people staring at him.

Kankuro leaned into him, and asked, "What's got you mad?"

The red head hissed, "That old man over there is responsible for the attacks on Naruto."

"What?" Kankuro yelled, and stood up.

Gaara grabbed his shirt sleeve, and glowered up at Kankuro, "If I'm not allowed to hit him, you aren't either. When I get a chance, I might leave you something to punch, though."

"You better," Kankuro grumbled, sitting back down, glaring at Danzou.

Danzou stood, a smirk on his face, "Sai, I'm taking my leave, now. I expect better from you next time."

"Yes, sir."

The red head glowered as he watched Danzou leave.

"Gaara, you might want to take a look down at the mats," Sai said. "This is the last match of the night, and if Naruto wins, and you didn't see it, he'll be upset."

The red head looked down, and saw Naruto looking up at him, worry evident on his face. Gaara forced himself to calm down, blanking his face, and gave Naruto a nod. The blond smiled, before turning to his opponent.

Sai leaned in and said, "This is going to be a fun fight. We have Naruto, who doesn't have very many techniques, but knows how to use them to the fullness of their ability. Then we have Sasuke, who has many techniques, but doesn't know how to use them to the best of their abilities. Want to bet for who will win?"

Gaara frowned at the dark haired man, "Do you know something I don't?"

"Nope," Sai said, smiling.

"I don't bet, that's Tsunade's speciality," the red head said, and turned and watched Sasuke and Naruto bow to each other. The energy coming from their bodies was contagious, and the people in the building shifted to see better, trying to expel the pumping energy swelling throughout the building, although most of them had watched at least twenty or more other matches.

Naruto was grinning over at Sasuke, and Gaara could see that he was enjoying the attention and the excitement going through the crowd. Then they began.

"The first couple of punches and kicks are just practice," Sai said, giving a running commentary. "They're letting their opponent hit them, so that they can figure out how much the other has changed in the last couple of months, and to see how serious the other is."

Gaara nodded, sea-foam eyes watching the two fighters; Naruto's grin was slipping away as he started getting serious, and Sasuke was calm, as if nothing could ruffle him.

Then Sasuke started doing moves that Gaara had never seen before, not in the last twenty or so matches, and at a speed that was so fast, the red head had a hard time seeing him hit the blond.

Naruto, though, was calm. He watched Sasuke like a scientist observing his specimen. He dodged some of Sasuke's hits, but others that he should have been able to dodge landed. One blow hit the blond hard, causing him to fly back on his back, but he rolled backwards before Sasuke could pin him to the ground.

The blond punched Sasuke in the gut, and then landed a kick on his ribs. The dark haired man winced, but ignored the pain, landing a punch on Naruto's face.

The ref was going to call the spare off when Naruto spat out blood, but Tsunade waved him off, then gestured for the medics to wait on the sides.

Naruto glowered at Sasuke, and tried to land a punch, but Sasuke had moved, dodging the blow, and elbowed the blond in the gut. Naruto fell to his knees and hands.

"Had enough, idiot?"

Naruto flipped backwards, kicking Sasuke in the stomach.

Sasuke was on the defense, and, from the expression on his face, Gaara could see he wasn't happy about it.

The blond got in a few good kicks, and then tried for a punch, but Sasuke caught it, and dragged Naruto in, kneeing him in the stomach.

Naruto gasped, and then grinned. He swept Sasuke's feet out from under him, returning the knee to the stomach, and then pinned the dark haired man down. Sasuke tried to flip Naruto off of him, but the blond managed to keep his position.

The blond grinned, and then head butted the dark haired man, ending the fight, as they both blacked out.

Tsunade laughed, unconcerned about the two men, and waved the medics forward.

Kankuro grinned at Gaara, and said, "The blond's going to be so sore tomorrow. Too bad you can't stay home and take care of him, huh?"

Gaara glared at the brunette, and smacked him on the back of the head, before stepping around him, to get to Naruto.

Sasuke was the first to gain consciousness, and he scowled when Tsunade called the fight a draw. She lifted a hand, and placed it on the man's shoulders, and said, "You still have a lot to learn, but when you're healed, I can get you started on a technique that only your brother knew."

Sasuke glowered at her, and said, "I'm not some child to be pacified by new tricks."

"No, you're not, but you're still not adult enough to know when to give up on something that's destroying your life. I don't expect you to be happy, but revenge will just eat you raw, and still want more. I don't want you to go after your brother, but if that's the only thing that you plan to do, the least I can do is help you protect yourself."

"Granny?" Naruto mumbled. "Who won? Did I finally defeat that bastard?"

Tsunade punched him in the head, "What kind of language is that?"

"Ow! Granny, I was just knocked unconscious, do you want me to lose more brain cells?" Naruto complained, looking up at her.

Sasuke glared at the blond, before heading towards the light blue haired man waiting near the door.

"No, brat, you didn't win, but good job."

Naruto grinned at her.

"'Good job'?" Gaara asked, confused.

Tsunade nodded, "See, if Naruto had lost, Sasuke would run off to find someone else to help him be even more powerful because he defeated the only person who was forcing him to improve. Yet, if Naruto won, he'd still have run off because he wasn't getting strong enough. A tie is a good thing."

Naruto pouted, "I was trying to keep that a secret, Granny. I didn't think you'd figure my plan out."

"You're clever, but not so clever that I can't figure out how your mind works, brat."

"What are you going to do when the tournament comes around?" Gaara asked.

Naruto shrugged, "I dunno, I'll figure it out when I get there."

"All right, Naruto, you need to go home, and get to sleep," Tsunade said, adding the last bandaged to his cheek. "You're going to be sore tomorrow, and make sure not to do too much. Take care of your right arm, you really should have waited until it was better before fighting. Don't try to lift anything with that hand for at least tomorrow, then you can get back to getting it to full strength."

"I know, Granny," Naruto muttered, wincing as he held onto his right arm.

She frowned in concern, "Did you hurt it in the match?"

"No, it's fine," he said, grinning. "It's just going to be a little sore from blocking some of Sasuke's moves."

Tsunade frowned, but said, "Well, then, off you two go."

Naruto nodded, and stood up. "Wait for me, okay? I have to go and get this stuff off," he said, gesturing to the padding.

Gaara nodded, and the blond ran off to the back of the dojo. When he came out, he was carrying a small duffel bag. The red head took it from the blond, even though Naruto protested.

The red head sent the blond a cool glance, and said, "You just fought against four different people. You're sore. The least I could do is carry this one little thing."

Naruto opened his mouth to say something, but then shut it, and followed the red head out to his car.

Gaara put Naruto's bag into his trunk, and then walked around to stand next to the blond, who was looking up at the night sky.

"I don't know what I'm going to do at the tournament, I really don't. I don't think Sasuke will allow another tie," Naruto mumbled to him.

Gaara bit his lip, and turned Naruto towards him. Then he leaned over to kiss Naruto's bandaged cheek.

"Wha-?" Naruto asked, and then his face turned a bright red.

"I-I kissed it better," Gaara mumbled, looking down.

The blond stared at him, and then said, "Could you kiss something else better?"

Gaara looked up, and saw Naruto pointing to his now bleeding lip.

The red head stared at the blond's lips for a second, and stuttered, "I-It only works once a d-day."

"Oh, too bad," Naruto said. Gaara watched his dejected face, and then saw a glint in Naruto's eyes, and took a step back too late.

Naruto's lips were smashed against his, freezing the red head for a moment. It wasn't a good kiss, by any standard, and Gaara had none. Yet, there was an insistence to Naruto's lips, that made Gaara smile. Naruto sighed, his lips pressing a soft smile on Gaara's. Naruto relaxed against him, letting his lips soften, before moving away.

"Um," Naruto said, leaning away from Gaara, but leaving his arms wrapped around the red head. "Ah, I-you're a good kisser," he mumbled.

Gaara raised a brow, and said, "You're a terrible kisser. You could have at least wiped the blood off your mouth before kissing me," Gaara said, his nose wrinkling in distaste as he brushed the blood off of his lips.

"Hey! Do you know how long I've been thinking about this?" Naruto demanded.

"No, how long?"

"Ever since you told me that people cared about you," he said, disgruntled. "You looked so surprised and awed; how could someone _not_ fall in love with you?"

Gaara stared at him, "You've been thinking about this for that long, and you didn't make a move before now?"

Naruto frowned, "Did you want me to make a move?"

"N-No...I don't know, maybe," Gaara muttered, looking away. "It just surprised me that you could wait for so long."

The blond grinned, "At first, I was too scared to, and, really, I was only around because you allowed me. If I did something you didn't like, you could, and did, kick me out."

"Now?"

"Now," Naruto smiled. "Now I just want to show you how I feel because I want you, and I want you to know I want you."

"I see," Gaara paused. "Let's get going. I think a crowd is forming."

"Hm? Ah, Granny," Naruto moaned, he flipped her off, and hopped into the car.

Gaara looked at him through the window for a moment, before heading around to his side.

When Naruto buckled himself in, he asked, "I get a second try at kissing you, right?"

"We'll see," the red head said, giving Naruto a sidelong glance as the blond started to list off reasons why he deserved a second chance.

It was after the twentieth reason that Naruto stopped rambling off reasons for why he deserved a second chance.

Gaara drove past the city limit sign for Konoha, glanced over at Naruto, and said, "I take it that you weren't angry when Kankuro said that we should move into your mansion, and raise a bunch of orphans, right?"

The only sound the red head could hear was the air conditioning.

"Naruto?"

There was a moment of silence, and then he heard a small snore from Naruto's side of the car.

Gaara looked over, and then turned back to the road, a quiet smile on his face.

* * *

><p>Gaara was gathering his things together from work Sunday evening, when a slip of paper fell out of his pile to float to the floor. He frowned at it, and bent down to pick it up, flipping it over to read what it said.<p>

_Friday, 7 p.m._

_The old ketchup factory._

_BCG is acquiring new members._

_Sai_

* * *

><p>AN:

(Gaara takes the duffel bag from Naruto) Gaara used Logic on Naruto! It was super effective!

I finally got the kiss written! Yay! Seriously, I was having trouble figuring out how to get these two to hug, much less kiss, not because I couldn't imagine them doing it, but I'm writing from Gaara's point of view, and he has trouble thinking about someone doing that sort of thing towards himself. Thank you, Naruto and Mei for helping me out! Oh, and hey! You didn't get your good morning kiss, but you got a good night kiss, huh, Naruto?

Now I want to write a story about a zombie!Gaara. I think it would be a lot of fun...but until Iris is done, that's not going to happen. (Anybody know a story with a zombie!Gaara?)

Oh, and P.P.S. um, I have a tumblr and I've been writing some small drabbles and putting them on there, and you can request a drabble, too, and it doesn't have to be _Naruto_, either. I have a list of books/mangas/movies/etc. that I'll write about. Please feel free to visit it. I have the link on my profile (along with a bunch of other GaaNaru things that are awesome).

_B/N:_

_Oh, god, it's almost over *tears* and there's nothing we can do about it. *sob sob*_

_But, at least it's an amazing story and there's always I'm With You which is also AMAZING! So, go check that one out if you haven't already!_

_Ah…zombies….I like Zombies….someone should write a gift fic for StoryBard because she is so talented and totally deserves it!_


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